Carlos Cuesta has left his position as Parma head coach by mutual agreement, with the Serie A club now actively searching for a replacement manager.
Parma confirmed the news via an official statement on their club website on Sunday, following internal discussions between the player and the club that ultimately sealed the split.
Those talks reportedly established that the “conditions in order to continue this working relationship and the advancement of the sporting project, were not being met,” prompting both parties to end their arrangement.
The Italian club confirmed that training will be led by the club’s technical staff in the interim while the search for a permanent new head coach gets underway.
Parma took the opportunity to thank Cuesta and his staff for “their hard work, dedication and professionalism” during his time at the Tardini.
Cuesta had originally signed a two-year deal with Parma in June 2025, which carried the option to extend for a further third year, when he took over a side that had finished 16th the previous season.
The young coach did manage to guide Parma to a 13th-place finish in the 2025/26 campaign, representing some improvement on the previous year’s struggles in Serie A.
However, the new season has proven difficult, with Parma winning just one, drawing one, and losing three of their opening five fixtures, leaving the relationship under serious strain.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Cuesta is now open to a new challenge and received multiple approaches from clubs in France, England, and Portugal over the summer transfer window.
Before taking the Parma job, Cuesta had served as an assistant manager at Arsenal, describing his departure from the club in 2025 as “maybe the most difficult decision of my life.”
He was particularly close with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, saying of him: “He has always been extremely supportive through the whole process and still is. I can’t speak well enough about who he is, not just as a leader and a coach but as a human being.”
The allure of a first head coaching role ultimately proved too strong, and Cuesta will now look to continue building his managerial career at a new club.
