Arsenal have reportedly parted company with head doctor Zafar Iqbal in a surprise move just days after the club’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
According to reports, Iqbal was informed on Monday that his employment at the club would end with immediate effect, bringing an abrupt end to a spell that began in February 2024.
The decision is understood to have come as a shock both to Iqbal and members of Arsenal’s medical department.
Chief executive Richard Garlick is reported to have delivered the news during a meeting at the club’s London Colney training ground.
No official explanation has yet been provided regarding the reasons behind the decision.
However, the development comes shortly after reports emerged that Arsenal had commissioned a review into their injury record during the 2025-26 season.
Spanish physiotherapist Joaquin Acedo, who has worked closely with Mikel Arteta throughout his coaching career, is understood to have been involved in assessing various aspects of the club’s medical and performance operations.
Whether that review directly influenced Iqbal’s departure remains unclear.
Arsenal endured a demanding campaign despite ultimately ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.
The Gunners also reached the Champions League final and the League Cup final, resulting in a schedule that stretched across 63 competitive matches.
Several key players spent lengthy periods on the sidelines throughout the season.
Club captain Martin Odegaard missed significant time through injury, while Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber also suffered setbacks that disrupted their campaigns.
Timber has since been ruled out of the World Cup after failing to fully recover from a groin issue sustained in March.
Within the club, there have reportedly been discussions around a number of factors behind the injury problems, including training intensity, player workload, rotation policies and medical management.
Arteta’s demanding approach is well known, with the Arsenal manager regularly insisting on high-tempo training sessions designed to replicate match conditions.
Despite the physical demands, Arsenal’s players delivered one of the club’s most successful seasons in recent memory by reclaiming the Premier League title and establishing themselves among Europe’s elite once again.
Iqbal leaves Arsenal with an impressive reputation in football medicine.
Before joining the Gunners, he spent almost eight years at Crystal Palace and previously held senior medical roles at Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
He also serves as chair of the Football Association Medical Society.
Arsenal are yet to announce who will replace Iqbal as head of sports medicine and performance, but his departure signals that further changes behind the scenes could follow as the club prepare for the defence of their Premier League crown next season.