Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made a significant addition to his backroom staff by recruiting sports massage therapist Manoel Marcelo Ribeiro from Chelsea for the upcoming 2024/25 season. Ribeiro, who is well-regarded and respected, previously worked at both Fulham and West Ham before joining Chelsea in 2009. He was known for his amiable nature and was a popular figure at Stamford Bridge and Cobham.
In a lighthearted 2014 interview, Ribeiro shared a humorous anecdote involving former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, recounting a moment when Mourinho playfully sprayed water on everyone at a conference using water pistols. The Brazilian therapist, who moved to England in 2004 to improve his English, stumbled upon his career by chance and has since expressed a long-term goal of working with the Brazilian national team.
As Arteta gears up for the upcoming season with aspirations of contending for major trophies, he is focused on strengthening his coaching staff to gain a competitive advantage in the Premier League and Champions League. The departure of Steve Round last season created a void in Arsenal’s coaching team, and there have been rumors of interest in other key staff members. Assistant coach Carlos Cuesta, a highly regarded young football mind, has been offered the managerial position at Championship club Norwich City.
Cuesta, who is one of Arteta’s four assistants, along with Albert Stuivenberg, Miguel Molina, and set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover, has attracted interest from Norwich’s sporting director Ben Knapper, a former Arsenal loan manager. Additionally, Albert Stuivenberg, another assistant coach under Arteta, turned down an offer from Ajax to pursue his “unfinished business” at Arsenal. Stuivenberg, who has been instrumental in supporting Arteta since Round’s departure, joined Arsenal alongside the manager in 2019.
Arteta expressed his satisfaction with the interest in his coaching staff, stating that it reflects positively on the work being done at Arsenal. He emphasized the importance of having the right people within the organization. The recruitment of Ribeiro from Chelsea and the continued commitment of key staff members like Cuesta and Stuivenberg highlight Arsenal’s ambition to build a strong and cohesive team behind the scenes to complement their on-field success.