Mikel Arteta Explains Arsenal's Medical Department Overhaul

Mikel Arteta has laid bare why Arsenal tore up the blueprint of their medical department this summer, insisting the club could no longer afford to stand still in an area he sees as decisive in the title race.

For years he has circled the same problem: when the season tightens, his squad loosens. Key players go missing. The run-in arrives and so do the injuries.

Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Kai Havertz – all have spent stretches on the sidelines at moments when Arsenal needed them most. Inside the club, the frustration has been growing.

That tension finally broke after the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Head of sports medicine Dr Zafar Iqbal was dismissed in the days that followed. Not long after, Tom Allen, head of sports science and performance, also left his role. Lead performance coach Sam Wilson departed at the end of June, another significant figure gone from a department suddenly under the microscope.

This was not a snap reaction to one bad night in Europe. Arsenal had already launched a full review of their medical and performance structure last season. Arteta’s long-time friend Joaquin Acedo was drafted in to play a central part in that process, tasked with helping reshape how the club handles fitness, recovery and long-term player care.

Arteta made a point of praising those who have exited, but he did not hide from the reality that change was required.

“First of all thank you to them for all the incredible work they have done for the club, for the players, for myself – and how well they have taken us and we will look to improve and evolve in certain areas,” he said, underlining both appreciation and the need to move on.

“We need to look across the club and we have made certain decisions that in our opinion will help us in medium and long term to be better.

“They are always difficult when you talk about people and you get such a strong relationship. It is always very, very tough.”

The shake-up has already brought new faces. Eneko Angulo has arrived from Real Betis, where he served as head of rehabilitation, to strengthen the recovery side of the operation. Arsenal have also appointed Arnaldo Abrantes as head doctor after his exit from Aston Villa.

Abrantes brings a strikingly different profile to the role. Before medicine, he was a professional sprinter, representing Portugal at the 2008 Olympics. Arteta clearly sees that as more than a curious footnote.

“He was a good athlete,” Arteta said, almost understating it.

The Arsenal manager wants a medical team that thinks like elite performers, not just treats them. That is where Abrantes’ background comes in.

“When we're trying to evolve the squad, the team and the relationships and where the game is evolving, we wanted to recruit different qualities,” Arteta explained.

“That's one, when you've been there and sensed things in a different way. But as well because of his background, his knowledge about a lot of things that I was very interested in.

“We believe he was the right fit. I'm very happy with what he's bringing.”

For Arteta, this is not a cosmetic reshuffle. It is part of the same project that has reshaped the squad, the style of play and the culture. Arsenal have gone close in recent seasons. To take the final step, he knows he needs his best players available when the pressure is at its fiercest.

The football has already evolved. Now, behind the scenes, the science has to catch up.