Arsenal’s summer activity is not just limited to the transfer market.
Behind the scenes, the club are undertaking a large overhaul of their medical department, which could have as much impact on next season as any signing.
Arsenal are set to appoint Arnaldo Abrantes as their new head doctor, after sacking previous head doctor Zafar Iqbal in a meeting just days after the Champions League final.
A former sprinter who competed at the Olympics in Beijing and London, Abrantes is joining from Aston Villa, where he served as head of medicine under Unai Emery.
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During his time there, Villa recorded the best injury record of any English club competing in European competition over the last two seasons — their players missing around 150 fewer days than Arsenal’s in that period.
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Abrantes will not be arriving alone. Speaking on the Arsecast podcast, club insider James McNicholas confirmed that new physios are also set to follow.
“It’s not just the guy coming in as doctor from Villa, but there are a couple of new physios joining,” he said.
McNicholas also hinted that there may have been tension between the medical and coaching staff.
“There can be some friction or tension in those conversations because managers want what they want. And sometimes what they’re hearing from medical isn’t good news or the news they want to hear.”
He was also keen to stress that blaming the previous medical staff entirely would be unfair.
“Arsenal have had, historically over the past couple of seasons, undeniably a lot of injury issues. There’s been a kind of internal process which has examined and reviewed that.
“I think it’s really unfair to say it was all the doctors’ fault — get rid of the doctor and suddenly we won’t have injuries anymore. That would be grossly unfair.
“But it seems the club have decided to renew and change and bring in new personnel, new approaches.”
Arsenal’s medical revamp could be just as important as their transfer activity
The injury toll over the past two seasons has been obvious.
Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino have all missed significant time, while the situation heading into this summer is no less concerning.
Timber has withdrawn from the World Cup, William Saliba is managing a back problem that could require surgery, and Saka is unable to train on consecutive days for England.
Had Arsenal been able to field a fully fit squad consistently over the past two seasons, they may well have been virtually unstoppable.
There will also be a familiar face waiting for Abrantes at the Sobha Realty Training Centre too. Carmen Marquez, who left her role as a doctor at Villa in January, has already joined the Gunners.
The World Cup final takes place on July 19, less than a month before Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Getting players back fit, fresh and ready will be Abrantes’ first major test.
Arsenal will be hoping they have appointed exactly the right person for the job.
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