According to The Telegraph, Arsenal have parted company with head of sports medicine and performance Dr Zafar Iqbal with immediate effect.
Iqbal joined the club in February 2024, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Gary O’Driscoll, who had left for Manchester United a few months earlier after 15 years at Arsenal.
He arrived with an impressive CV, having held senior medical roles at Crystal Palace and Liverpool, while also spending time at Sp*rs and Leyton Orient. Away from club football, he serves as chair of the FA Medical Society, which supports medical professionals working throughout the game.
Last month, The Telegraph reported that Mikel Arteta had commissioned close associate Joaquin Acedo to conduct an independent review of Arsenal’s injury situation. The freelance physiotherapist had hinted at his involvement as far back as September in a post on Instagram.
It’s unclear whether Acedo was formally incorporated into Arteta’s backroom staff during the campaign. However, he was present in Budapest for the Champions League final and, like Iqbal, joined the club’s trophy parade through the streets of Islington 10 days ago.
The Telegraph is careful to note that it remains “unclear whether Dr Iqbal’s sacking has any connection with that review”.
In recent years, various attempts have been made to rank Premier League clubs by injuries suffered and days lost to fitness issues. Such exercises are, at best, educated estimates, with clubs under no obligation to publish detailed medical data.
All the same, Arsenal have endured their fair share of injury setbacks during Arteta’s tenure.
Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Jurrien Timber (who this evening withdrew from Holland’s World Cup squad with a groin problem) have undergone knee surgeries. William Saliba has battled a persistent back problem, while Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have all required hamstring operations. Havertz has also undergone a procedure on his knee. Mikel Merino needed surgery on a broken foot, and both Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard have spent spells on the sidelines with various complaints.
Of course, there is rarely a single explanation for an injury crisis, and it would be simplistic to place responsibility at the feet of one individual. Modern football places huge demands on players, and many factors contribute to injuries occurring. That said, if Arsenal feel their current processes require fresh thinking, they are entitled to make changes.
We’ll have to wait and see whether a replacement has already been identified. It’s not the sort of appointment the club is likely to announce publicly, but the picture should become clearer when the squad returns for pre-season towards the end of July.