Heinze joined Arteta's coaching staff in July 2025
After three consecutive Premier League runners-up finishes, Mikel Arteta was left searching for answers.
What would it take to turn his Arsenal team into champions? The squad needed more depth. The mentality had to be tougher.
The club responded by signing eight new players. Yet the most important summer arrival may well have been the least conspicuous. 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.
