Arsenal have parted ways with former Liverpool club doctor Dr Zafar Iqbal after two years at the club, with the process of appointing a replacement already underway.
Iqbal was informed of the decision last week following Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. He had joined the club in 2024, replacing Gary O’Driscoll, who left for Manchester United after spending 16 years in north London.
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The decision comes as a surprise internally, with Iqbal widely respected across football. However, Arsenal endured a number of injury issues during the season.
Iqbal previously spent four-and-a-half years at Liverpool, where he worked at Melwood as first-team doctor, overseeing medical care, player assessments, matchday support and fitness programmes in close coordination with performance staff.
He has also held roles at Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient and with England youth teams. Dr Zaf Iqbal headed Arsenal’s sports medicine and performance department, bringing extensive experience to the role before his departure.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal are set to appoint former Olympic sprinter Arnaldo Abrantes as head doctor following his departure from Aston Villa.
Abrantes will replace Zafar Iqbal and is expected to arrive in July. He joins two other medical staff who have moved from Villa to Arsenal in recent months, with the Midlands club already working on replacements.
Abrantes spent three years at Nottingham Forest between 2020 and 2023, after a sprinting career that included qualification for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Arsenal dealt with several injury issues last season despite winning a league title and reaching the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals.
The Gunners captain Martin Odegaard was restricted to 36 appearances in all competitions, starting only 16 Premier League matches due to knee and muscular problems.
Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, is also not yet fully fit, with England manager Thomas Tuchel saying this week that he had been “playing through the pain” for Arsenal towards the end of the 2025/26 season.