Arsenal recently bid farewell to Carlos Cuesta, who has become the new head coach of Serie A side Parma.
As a result, there was a vacancy in Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff that needed to be filled.
Arsenal fans called for the likes of Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere to be appointed – but it looks like the Gunners have now made their decision.
David Ornstein has reported that former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze is set to join Arteta’s coaching team at Arsenal.
Heinze is set for his first coaching role in England, having held a number of managerial and coaching posts in his native Argentina.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is a big fan of Heinze, and what he previously said about the 47-year-old will be of interest to Arsenal fans.
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Gabriel Heinze during his time at Newell's Old Boys
Photo by Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images
Alexis Mac Allister hailed ‘big influence’ Gabriel Heinze
Mac Allister has enjoyed a superb few years, winning all there is to win with Argentina, shining at Brighton & Hove Albion, and winning the title with Liverpool.
The Reds midfielder has credited Heinze with his rise to prominence, and previously likened him to Graham Potter, his former boss at the Amex Stadium.
“I think he [Potter] is similar to Gabriel Heinze as a manager,” Mac Allister is quoted by The Independent as saying in 2021. “He was my manager in Argentinos Juniors and I learned a lot from him.
“They are similar because they are tactical managers and they want to keep the ball in every match. They are similar and I like the way that Graham wants to play.
“I learned a lot of things from Gabriel and he’s been a big influence for me after helping to develop me a lot.”
And as per BBC Sport, Mac Allister regards Heinze as ‘the coach who has brought the best out of him and taught him the game’.
With that in mind, it seems like bringing Heinze to the Arsenal coaching setup could help bring the best out of the players, just as it has done for Mac Allister.
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What Mikel Arteta has already said about Gabriel Heinze
Arteta and Heinze were team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain during the 2001-02 campaign.
At the start of this season, Arteta spoke about his time at PSG, and he sung Heinze’s praises
“The other inspirations were (Mauricio) Pochettino and Heinze,” Arteta said, as per The Athletic.
“Those two were next to me all the time, behind me, and they were guiding me in everything I had to do in my professional life, how I had to understand the game and they were inspirational to me.”