Carlos Cuesta confirms Arsenal exit as Parma-bound coach posts touching social media tribute to Mikel Arteta

Arsenal assistant head coach Carlos Cuesta has confirmed his imminent exit from the Emirates, posting touching thank-you messages to the club and his superior Mikel Arteta on social media.

It has been approximately 24 hours since it was reported that the 29-year-old would be leaving the North London giants to succeed now-Inter Milan boss Cristian Chivu at Parma, his first head coach role.

Arsenal are believed to have given Cuesta the thumbs-up to join the Serie A side on Wednesday, and the Spaniard was seen arriving in Italy earlier today as he prepares to finalise his move.

Neither club has officially confirmed the switch just yet, but Cuesta took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to reflect on his time at Arsenal, writing: "After five beautiful years it’s hard to put this into words, but I can only express how grateful I am for having lived my day-to-day with such special people and feel what it means to represent this football club, with its incredible history and values.

"The only thing I’ve ever tried to do was give everything I had inside of me every single day. I was inspired by the culture that was created, by the hunger of every person of the organisation and by the unity that we had in any situation that we had to face.

Cuesta: 'The best is yet to come for Arsenal'

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Carlos Cuesta (@carl0scuesta)

"It has been a privilege to have had the chance to work with the players, staff, directors and all the employees of the club and at the same time, to receive an extra push from our amazing fans in every match.

"Because of the quality of its people, I’m convinced that the best moments for this football club are still yet to come. Enjoy the journey, because it is a very exciting one."

One of the highest-rated young coaches on the European circuit, Cuesta previously held assistant manager positions with Juventus and Atletico Madrid's Under-17 teams before joining Arteta's Arsenal in 2020.

The Spaniard slotted seamlessly into his compatriot's backroom team and is highly thought of by many Gunners past and present, whom he has been able to form a special bond with thanks to their similar ages.

Having helped Arteta mastermind Arsenal's ascent to Premier League title challengers and Champions League regulars again, Cuesta saved a special tribute to the Gunners boss, whom he credited for teaching him the real meaning of "courage".

Cuesta delivers touching tribute to Arteta before Arsenal exit

"And then, to the person that made it happen. Thank you. That’s the only thing I can say," the 29-year-old continued in a separate post.

"Thank you for your trust, for giving me the opportunity to be next to you and for showing me with constant facts which is the meaning of the word “courage”. But more than that, thank you for being an incredible coach, an incredible leader, and an even better human being.

"It has been a true privilege to learn from you, to feel your support in any circumstance and to share the ups and downs of the journey always seeing the positive side of it. You’ve taught me a lot, and I will carry it always with me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

It remains unclear whether Arsenal will pursue a replacement for Cuesta, who extended his Gunners contract until 2027 along with his fellow backroom staff members earlier this year.

Arteta still has two assistant managers in the shape of Albert Stuivenberg and Miguel Molina, as well as set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana by his side.

Written by
Ben Knapton