Arsenal assistant coach Carlos Cuesta has been linked with the manager job at Norwich City, and Mikel Arteta may now lose a valuable member of his staff.
Cuesta is a highly-rated coach within the club, and despite his young age, is being targeted by several Championship sides for a surprise appointment as head coach.
Norwich are seemingly keen on appointing him at the end of the season as a long-term manager who can take them to the Premier League and sustain their place in the top flight, rather than constantly flitting between the two divisions.
Arteta has now admitted that he will be powerless to stop Cuesta from departing despite his usefulness at Arsenal, with it inevitable that the Spaniard will want opportunities to further his own coaching career.
Mikel Arteta makes Carlos Cuesta admission amid Norwich links
Speaking via The Mirror, Arteta claimed that should Cuesta wish to pursue a managerial career of his own, he will not stand in his way.
“If that’s their will? You cannot [stop them]. I wouldn’t, no,” he stated.
“That’s great what has happened, not only with the coaching staff but also certain staff, that other clubs are trying to come and get them which is always a really good sign that they’re doing a really good job.
“I think everybody needs to feel that there is a path, there is a development plan for everyone. People don’t want to do the same thing for three, four, five years you know, and there is a way to incentivise people, to inspire other people, and then to explore.
“Because you don’t really know the limit of a person unless you expose him to certain things. I think curiosity is a really important quality that we have within our young staff, and that thrives.”
Mikel Arteta’s experience of moving between coaching roles
Cuesta’s situation is one that Arteta himself is familiar with, as he was in a similar scenario when Arsenal offered him the managerial job in 2019.
Arteta went straight from playing at Arsenal to Pep Guardiola’s most trusted assistant at Manchester City, and they did not want to lose him from their staff when he returned to the Emirates.
Whilst Arteta had years of playing experience under his belt, and was joining one of the biggest clubs in the country, it highlights how highly rated the 28-year-old is that clubs are keen on him despite his limited experience.
“We all need opportunities. I got an opportunity when I didn’t have any experience in coaching, first of all at Man City and then here, and I’m very grateful for that,” Arteta added.
“When other clubs try to get them it’s a really good sign that they’re doing a really good job and that we have the right people here.”
If Cuesta does leave, he will be a huge loss to Arsenal, but the club cannot begrudge him for wanting to take what would be an exceptional opportunity for a coach of his age.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
