Latest news with #GabrielHeinze
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I'm joining Arteta's team – I tried for Liverpool deal and caused Man Utd rift'
Former Manchester United star Gabriel Heinze once was regarded as a legend in the making at the club. Joining the Red Devils from PSG in 2004, a Premier League title followed as the Old Trafford faithful adored his full-blooded commitment on the pitch – until he tried to leave United under hugely controversial circumstances. Heinze's next move was viewed as self-sabotage of the highest order as the Argentinian star set fire to his United legacy when he attempted to force a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2007. In doing so he subsequently broke one of English football's most sacred yet unwritten rules: players not move from United to their bitter rivals and vice-versa. Heinze, now 47, is now set to join Mikel Arteta 's coaching staff at Arsenal ahead of the new season as the Gunners are in the midst of a coaching reshuffle, with former assistant Carlos Cuesta having departed for Parma. Heinze's return to the Premier League will no doubt ignite memories of one of English football's most brutal transfer sagas of when the Argentinian was seeking to traipse the M62 divide and join then-manager Rafa Benitez at Liverpool. The controversial switch would have made him the first player since Phil Chisnall in 1964 to move directly between the two sides. Yet the union of Heinze and Liverpool will always be a case of 'What if?' Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson spectacularly dug his heels in to ensure that the defender would never get his wish. It began as Heinze's agent, Roberto Rodriguez, was reportedly informed by United's then-chief executive David Gill that he could leave for £6.8million. Yet United never foresaw that the full-back would clamour for a switch to their greatest rivals. An offer matching United's valuation was then indeed lodged by the Reds. However, the Red Devils knocked back Liverpool's proposal, to Heinze's dismay, and so lawyers were consulted. "I can assure you, Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze. We can put that to bed right now and we have done so," Ferguson told Sky Sports at the time. The legendary United boss also claimed United were in the driving seat over the move. Benitez however was left stunned by United's refusal to play ball. "It's clear he's a player we like and he's a very good player," Liverpool's Spanish boss said. "That's the reason why they don't want him to leave for us." In another twist to one of the Premier League's bloodiest transfer tussles, it later emerged that Crystal Palace were offered the chance to buy Heinze by a South American-based agency, and then sell him to Liverpool straight after. This would allegedly pocket the Eagles £1m in compensation, as revealed by former Palace chairman Simon Jordan in his memoir, Be Careful What You Wish For. "My stance was no way were we getting involved and I told Alexander to contact David Gill, Manchester United 's chief executive, and tell him of these attempted shenanigans, which he duly did," Jordan wrote. Heinze and his agent eventually took the case to a Premier League arbitration panel in a bid to engineer the move. However, Jordan's evidence was later used in the hearing which saw United prevail. After losing the right to move to Liverpool, Heinze told the Daily Mail: "My fight is for the freedom to negotiate with any club. United never wanted me to leave for one of the big clubs, but this anti-Liverpool clause is incredible." Liverpool were reportedly expecting Heinze to appeal. Yet a late charge never materialised from the player as United accepted a bid from Real Madrid. "I don't have many regrets from my career as a footballer, but that episode with Ferguson [has] to be one of them," Heinze later said of the ordeal. "I spent three years in Manchester and had some great moments and I regret [leaving the club] a lot." After United, Heinze went on to play for Madrid, Marseille and Roma. The ex-Argentina international called time on his career in 2014 and has since ventured into management, however he has been out of work since November 2023. Arteta and Heinze previously played together at PSG but they will now reunite at the Emirates Stadium. It's fully expected that Heinze's journey to work at another of United's fierce rivals will be without drama this time around.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Man Utd title winner, 47, to join Mikel Arteta's Arsenal coaching staff in a surprise move to replace Carlos Cuesta
MIKEL ARTETA is appointing Manchester United title winner Gabriel Heinze to his Arsenal staff. The former Argentina star, 47, will join the group after 29-year-old Carlos Cuesta left his role as assistant coach to become manager of Parma. 2 Heinze spent three years with the Red Devils after joining from PSG - where he played with a teenage Arteta. The defender has been described by the Gunners boss as one of the "unbelievable players" he played with, and an "inspiration". Arteta previously said: 'The other inspirations were (Mauricio) Pochettino and Heinze, those two were next to me all the time, behind me, and they were guiding me in everything I had to do in my professional life, how I had to understand the game and they were inspirational to me.' Heinze will join the backroom staff alongside assistant Albert Stuivenberg, goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and first-team coach Miguel Molina. Heinze moved to Old Trafford for £6.9million in 2004 and became a cult hero among fans - scoring on his debut against Bolton. But a lengthy injury lay-off saw Sir Alex Ferguson sign Patrice Evra, who became first-choice left-back in the title-winning 2006-07 season. He left Man Utd after 83 games under a cloud after trying to force a move to bitter rivals Liverpool before eventually being shipped to Real Madrid. As well as winning the Premier League he won domestic titles in France, Spain and Argentina as well as Olympic gold. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS He made 72 appearances for Argentina, including at two Fifa World Cups and the Copa America. Heinze has had managerial spells at five clubs since 2015, leaving his most recent stint at Newell's Old Boys in his homeland in 2023.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Man United cult hero 'accepts offer to join Mikel Arteta's coaching staff' as replacement for Carlos Cuesta
A former Manchester United player has accepted an offer from Arsenal to join Mikel Arteta 's coaching staff. The Gunners were on the lookout for a new assistant coach to support Albert Stuivenberg after Carlos Cuesta left to take charge of Parma. Arsenal have elected to bring in a former international star who played against them on several occasions. He was also a team-mate of Arteta's earlier in his career. Arteta will hope that adding further experience to his backroom staff will help Arsenal in their quest to win the Premier League title. The Gunners have finished in second place in the league for three seasons in succession. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Gabriel Heinze has accepted the offer to join Arteta's staff. Heinze was at Manchester United between 2004 and 2007 and played 83 games for the Red Devils. The defender won the Premier League title with United in the 2006-07 campaign. He also represented Real Madrid, Marseille and Roma, while he won 72 caps for Argentina. Heinze and Arteta were team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2001-02 season, when the latter was just starting to establish himself in senior football. Arsenal monitored Heinze last year when Cuesta was linked with the managerial job at Norwich City. During his managerial career Heinze has been in charge of five clubs - Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield, Atlanta United and Newell's Old Boys. It has been a busy summer already for Arsenal, who have signed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea and are also set to bring in midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. It is expected that Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard will also join the Gunners, with Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera another key target. The Gunners are also looking to bring in a striker, with Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko having both been heavily linked with the club.
Metro
a day ago
- Sport
- Metro
Iconic Manchester United Premier League winner joins Arsenal coaching staff
Arsenal have brought former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze onto Mikel Arteta's coaching staff. The Gunners have moved to replace Carlos Cuesta, who left their coaching team to take over as manager of Italian side Parma. The Athletic report that Heinze is being brought in, with the 47-year-old having had an unspectacular time as a manager since retiring from playing in 2014. The former full-back has had stints in charge of Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield and most recently Newell's Old Boys in his home country of Argentina. He also had a brief spell as manager of Atlanta United in MLS. His most recent spell in a top job was with Newell's, which ended in November 2023. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. The move to Arsenal seems surprising but is not entirely out of the blue as Heinze and Arteta go a long way back. The pair played together at Paris Saint-Germain in 2001-02, with the Spaniard speaking highly of the Argentine's influence in the past. The appointment will probably not be too popular at Old Trafford, where Heinze was an iconic figure, despite a pretty short time with Manchester United. The left-back signed from PSG in 2004 and spent three seasons with the Red Devils, making 83 appearances in all competitions. A serious injury wiped out almost the whole of the 2005-06 season before Heinze won the Premier League with Manchester United in what turned out to be his final year at the club in 2006-07. The tough-tackling defender then left for Real Madrid, but was a memorable force at Old Trafford, despite only making 52 Premier League appearances. Cuesta's departure has been seen as a blow for Arsenal, with the 29-year-old a highly-rated young coach. On his departure from the Emirates, he posted an emotional message, writing: 'After five beautiful years it's hard to put this into words, but I can only express how grateful I am for having lived my day-to-day with such special people and feel what it means to represent this football club, with its incredible history and value. More Trending 'The only thing I've ever tried to do was give everything I had inside of me every single day. 'I was inspired by the culture that was created, by the hunger of every person of the organisation and by the unity that we had in any situation that we had to face. 'It has been a privilege to have had the chance to work with the players, staff, directors and all the employees of the club and at the same time, to receive an extra push from our amazing fans in every match. 'Because of the quality of its people, I'm convinced that the best moments for this football club are still yet to come. Enjoy the journey, because it is a very exciting one. Thank you Arsenal.' MORE: How much Man Utd will earn from Anthony Elanga's proposed move to Newcastle MORE: Premier League star 'opening doors' to £50m Arsenal transfer MORE: Arsenal and Man Utd told to 'take a punt' on £60m star: 'He's a top player'
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Gabriel Heinze to join Mikel Arteta's Arsenal coaching staff
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze is joining Mikel Arteta's coaching staff at Arsenal. Heinze's appointment comes after Carlos Cuesta departed the club to become Parma's new head coach. Arteta and Heinze were team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain during the 2001-02 campaign. Advertisement At the start of this season, Arteta spoke about his time at PSG, saying: 'The other inspirations were (Mauricio) Pochettino and Heinze, those two were next to me all the time, behind me, and they were guiding me in everything I had to do in my professional life, how I had to understand the game and they were inspirational to me.' Heinze, 47, has held managerial roles at Argentine top-flight side Godoy Cruz, Major League Soccer (MLS) club Atlanta United and Newell's Old Boys, the club where he started his career, since retiring from playing in 2014. The former Argentina international's last head coaching role was at Newell's, having departed in November 2023 following one year in charge. Heinze's playing career saw him win league titles at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Marseille as well as an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in Athens in 2004. He won 72 caps for his country and was a Copa America runner-up twice. He will join a coaching staff team at Arsenal that includes assistant Albert Stuivenberg, set-piece coach Nico Jover, and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana. The three have all been at the club since 2021. ()
