Carlos Cuesta backed for Arsenal manager's job as Mikel Arteta given replacement verdict

Arsenal expert Charles Watts can envisage former assistant manager Carlos Cuesta coming back to the Emirates as head coach one day following his emotional exit for Parma.

The 29-year-old ended a five-season stint at the Emirates to replace Cristian Chivu at the Italian giants, thus becoming the youngest head coach in Europe's top five leagues and soon to be the second youngest to take charge of a Serie A game.

Cuesta established himself as a critical piece of Mikel Arteta's backroom team following his arrival in 2020, prior to which he had already served as an assistant manager for Atletico Madrid and Juventus' Under-17 teams during his early 20s.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Watts affirmed that Cuesta would be greatly missed in North London but also expressed his view that Arsenal may not have seen the last of the Spaniard, whom he can potentially picture taking over as head coach once Arteta leaves.

“They're definitely going to miss him," Watts said. "He was really, really well-liked. The Amazon documentary gave a brief little glimpse for people to see. And whenever you talk to a player about Carlos, they absolutely love the work he did, what he was like on the training pitch, but also in those one-to-one sessions, he was really well-liked.

“He's definitely going to be missed. You could see that by some of the reactions on social media from the players when that move came out. 29 years old, it's unbelievable. To think you're 29 years old and you're managing in Serie A. But he was 24 when he came to Arsenal. And by that point, he'd already been working for Juventus and Atletico Madrid. His career path has been absolutely crazy.

'Might not be the last of Cuesta at Arsenal'

“Mikel identified that. That's why he wanted to bring him to Arsenal. And it's a fantastic opportunity for him. It really, really is. It just shows the coaching game is changing in front of our eyes. The whole landscape of it is changing in terms of how young these coaches are now. We've seen it over here in the Premier League.

“I really hope he does really well. And maybe, who knows, he might come back one day as an Arsenal manager, because he's got that connection there. You saw it in his social media post, it was a very emotional one. He's very much been touched by his time at the club. So it might not be the last we see of Carlos Cuesta. Who knows? But I think it is a good thing.

“This core coaching staff has been together for quite a long time. Maybe it's a good opportunity to freshen things up. Ideally it wouldn't happen just as pre-season is about to get underway. But it does give Mikel an opportunity to bring in a new voice and shake things up a little bit.”

Even with Cuesta gone, Arteta still has a four-strong team of assistant and specialist coaches by his side, including his right-hand man and second-in-command Albert Stuivenberg.

Cuesta's compatriot Miguel Molina - only 32 himself - followed his fellow Spaniard to the Emirates from Atletico in 2020, although the 1993-born coach is often seen in the stands as opposed to down on the touchline.

Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana are also committed to Arsenal, who reportedly tied all of Arteta's assistants - including the now-departed Cuesta - to contract renewals until 2027 earlier this year.

Will Arsenal, Arteta hire a replacement for Cuesta?

Nevertheless, Watts still expects the club to hire a direct replacement for Cuesta, and the journalist would be in favour of appointing an experienced coach to help the Gunners finally get over the line in major competitions.

“I think they'll bring someone in," he added. "Mikel does like to promote from within. We saw that when Steve Round left a couple of years ago. That could have been an opportunity to bring someone else in, but he didn't. He just promoted Carlos Cuesta and Miguel Molina, gave them more responsibilities.

“But I think this time when you lose someone who is so important, and it's quite a streamlined sort of core coaching group anyway, I think you've got to bring someone in. This is an opportunity for him to do that. We'll wait and see what route he goes down, whether he goes for a more experienced guy or another younger coach.

“I think it would be quite good to bring in an experienced guy, after a couple of seasons of just not quite being able to get over the line, maybe it'll help Mikel to have someone who's been there, done it. That's just purely my thought process. I don't know if that's what he'd be thinking himself, but I do think they'll bring someone in.”

Cuesta issued heart-warming tributes to Arteta and Arsenal on Instagram ahead of his unveiling as manager of Parma, whose former boss Chivu replaced Simone Inzaghi at Inter Milan earlier this summer.

In other news, Watts also discussed the future of experienced midfielder Thomas Partey, explaining why he felt that the 32-year-old's exit on a free transfer is "not inevitable".

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Cuesta's Arsenal exit and his impact in North London.

Written by
Ben Knapton