Gabriel Heinze has been appointed as an assistant to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners had been on the lookout for a replacement for Carlos Cuesta, who left the Emirates to become Parma’s manager.
Heinze will officially join up with the rest of Arteta’s coaching staff when pre-season begins this week, and he will play a big part in the upcoming campaign.
For those who don’t know much about Heinze, one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game once described him perfectly.
Diego Maradona’s verdict on Gabriel Heinze should excite Arsenal fans
Gabriel Heinze is not too popular for being a coach, but he often made the headlines as a player.
The Argentine played in multiple leagues for huge clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Real Madrid, and also represented his country 73 times.
While playing for Argentina, one of his managers was the late great Diego Maradona.
Heinze, who has also played under Sir Alex Ferguson, earned the respect of the legendary Argentine for showing a lot of fight on and off the pitch.
Following his debut game as his country’s manager, Maradona heaped praise on Heinze and pointed to him as an example not just to those on the pitch, but to those on the bench as well.
Speaking after the 1-0 win over Scotland, he said: “Heinze is like a bull.
“At this moment, we need players like him. The whole team had no fight. The ones on the bench were as happy as the starters.”
READ MORE: The crazy story of how Roy Keane once knocked out Arsenal assistant coach Gabriel Heinze
Arsenal fans should be excited by what Gabriel Heinze will bring to the club
Heinze was a phenomenal competitor as a player, and not a lot has changed on that front.
The 47-year-old was a real fighter, and he was extremely ruthless on the pitch. He was never scared to get stuck in and got into many a battle.
That sort of mentality is exactly what some Arsenal players need to become champions after finishing second three years in a row.
Once Arteta’s men become ruthless, they will be near-unstoppable because tactically, they are already among the best in the world.
That is why Arsenal fans should be really excited about Heinze’s arrival.
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