The Athletic reports that Arnaldo Abrantes will replace Dr Zafar Iqbal as Arsenal’s head of medicine and performance.
The news comes just days after The Telegraph revealed that the Gunners had parted company with Iqbal, who had held the role since February 2024.
Abrantes arrives with an unusual background. A former sprinter, he represented Portugal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games in Beijing and London and competed at the World Championships in 2007 and 2009 before moving into sports science and performance.
The 39-year-old joins from Aston Villa, where he spent the last two years as head of medical services. Before that, he held senior roles at Nottingham Forest and Portuguese side Estoril Praia.
David Ornstein reports that two of Abrantes’ former colleagues at Villa Park have already made the move to Arsenal in recent months, suggesting there may already be some familiarity with the environment he is walking into.
As we understand it, the medical and performance department supporting Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad now numbers more than 20 staff, encompassing everything from sports science and physiotherapy to nutrition and rehabilitation. It’s a far cry from the days when Gary Lewin and his magic sponge seemed capable of solving every problem on their own.
Given the size and complexity of the operation, the role is about much more than medical expertise alone. Managing people, coordinating different disciplines and ensuring everyone is pulling in the same direction are just as important as the clinical side of the job.
As we’ve seen repeatedly under Arteta, culture and collaboration matter, and Arsenal will be hoping Abrantes can help create the conditions that keep more of their players on the pitch in the seasons ahead.