Arsenal coach aged 27 has become secret weapon in Premier League title charge

Things can change very quickly in football - just ask Mikel Arteta.

Back in May, the Spaniard was facing a fierce backlash from Arsenal fans after the Londoners missed out on a top-four finish following an implosion in the final weeks of the season.

Now, nobody would dare dream of calling for Arteta's head; after all, he has masterminded one of the most unlikely title challenges in recent memory, with Arsenal currently five points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League with a game in hand on the defending champions.

But Arteta would be the first to admit that there are plenty of other people behind the scenes who deserve praise for their role in Arsenal's success this term: including Carlos Cuesta.

Arsenal's Individual Development Coach, 27, first met Arteta during a visit to Manchester City when he was just 24-years-old. But Cuesta's coaching journey started many years before that - even if it was perhaps always destined to lead him back to Arteta.

Cuesta already holds a UEFA pro license after starting his coaching badges at the tender age of 18 and is, unsurprisingly, held in high esteem all around Europe after spells at Atletico Madrid and Juventus.

The Gunners coach idolised Jose Mourinho growing up and even listened to Vitor Frade, the same teacher who had an influence on the former Chelsea and Tottenham chief, at Porto University about Tactical Periodisation: an ideology that urges players to focus on the systems of play that a team intends to use.

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When the opportunity presented itself for Arteta to reshuffle his staff following the Gunners' FA Cup win back in 2020, he already had the perfect candidate in mind.

Since then, Cuesta has quickly become one of Arteta's most trusted lieutenants. He works regularly on a one-to-one basis with Arsenal's star-studded squad; his ability to speak six different languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and Catalan) enables him to communicate effectively with everybody at the club.

Cuesta spends a lot of time doing video analysis with Arsenal's squad, honing in on various clips highlighting match actions and body language, as detailed in last year's Amazon documentary: Arsenal 'All or Nothing'. Unsurprisingly, given his footballing education in Portugal, his focus is on technical excellence and tactical ideas rather than fitness work.

Despite his tender years, he still retains the respect of the Arsenal squad, who relish his personal touch; Cuesta's influence was praised by Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares, who claimed in the documentary: "Carlos can understand the players because he is also young. He helps me get better and better."

After meeting Arteta and Guardiola, Cuesta attributed that trip as an experience that had changed his life. "I highlight Mikel Arteta. He is going to be a great coach," he predicted shortly afterwards to El Pais.

But little did Cuesta know back then that he would be a key part of the team behind Arteta as the Gunners chase their first domestic crown in almost two decades.