Wilson leaves Parma after four months 

Former Arsenal Lead Performance Coach Sam Wilson has left his role as Head of Performance at Italian side Parma after four months. 

Wilson joined the Serie A club in the summer after 12 years at Arsenal, where he rose from Under-18s S&C Coach to Lead Performance Coach for the first team. The move reunited him with former Arsenal Assistant Carlos Cuesta, then Parma’s Head Coach. 

Cuesta left the side by mutual consent in late September, five matches into the Serie A season. Writing on LinkedIn, Wilson said: “Although shorter than anticipated, it was a valuable experience, offering the opportunity to embrace a different footballing culture and the challenges of working in a new country and language. 

“Thank you to the players and wider club staff for making me feel so welcome, and to the coaching team for their trust, support and collaboration during our time together.” 

Over the past few weeks, Wilson has travelled to the United States to spend time with NBA sides LA Lakers, LA Clippers and San Antonio Spurs, NHL team LA Kings, the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center and the University of Texas. 

“It was excellent to see the different approaches to performance, leadership, collaboration and athlete development across these environments,” he said.