After three consecutive Premier League runners-up finishes, Mikel Arteta was left searching for answers. Arteta turned to one of his oldest and most trusted allies: former Argentina, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze, who replaced outgoing assistant Carlos Cuesta. Arteta and Heinze first met at PSG in 2001 under the management of Luis Fernandez. "They were great boys," says Fernandez, who signed Arteta from Barcelona in January 2001 and Heinze from Real Valladolid six months later. As well as Heinze, Arteta shared a dressing room with Ronaldinho, Mauricio Pochettino, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka.

Source: BBC March 10, 2026 10:11 UTC