Arsenal sack head doctor Iqbal weeks after Champions League final defeat to PSG

Arsenal dismissed head doctor Zafar Iqbal on June 1, weeks after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, with the 51-year-old called to a meeting and told his position had been terminated with immediate effect. The decision follows a campaign in which the Gunners were severely hampered by injuries to key players.

According to The Telegraph, Arteta had already enlisted Spanish physio Joaquín Acedo during the season, though it remains unclear whether that arrangement directly influenced the decision to part ways with Iqbal. The timing is striking: Iqbal was photographed celebrating on the pitch with the squad when Arsenal were presented with the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park, only to be removed from his role a matter of weeks later.

The club are also set to lose Under-21s head coach Max Porter, who joins Stoke City after nine years at Arsenal in various capacities. Porter arrived in north London in July 2017 as an Under-9s coach and progressed through the Under-13s, Under-17s and Under-19s before becoming Under-21s assistant coach in July 2022. He was appointed Under-21s manager last summer following Mehmet Ali’s departure to Brentford, and also contributed to the first-team setup during his time at the club.

At Stoke, Porter will serve as part of Mark Robins’ backroom team, filling the vacancy left by Paul Nevin, who departed as assistant manager in February. His appointment has been viewed as a vote of confidence in Robins, who was retained despite the Potters finishing 17th in the Championship last season — a campaign that collapsed after a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield United on matchday 19 ended a promising play-off push.

Arsenal have yet to announce who will succeed Porter within their academy structure.