Arsenal have confirmed that Gabriel Heinze has joined Mikel Arteta’s backroom team.
The 47-year-old Argentine has held a number of managerial roles since hanging up his boots in 2014, most of them in his homeland. He also had a brief stint in charge of MLS side Atlanta United during the 2020/21 season.
As a player, Heinze enjoyed a glittering career, winning league titles with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Marseille. He was also a regular for Argentina between 2003 and 2007, earning 72 caps as a no-nonsense left-back.
It was at Paris Saint-Germain that Heinze first struck up a friendship with Arteta. The former had just joined from Valladolid when the latter arrived on loan, and the pair have remained close ever since.
Rumours of a reunion surfaced back in April when assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg was being linked with the Feyenoord job. In the end, it’s Heinze who joins the staff, replacing Carlos Cuesta, who recently left to become head coach of Parma.
Heinze isn’t exactly known for his softly-softly approach, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of presence he brings to the touchline.