Arsenal sign Real Betis Head of Rehab

Betis are understood to view Angulo’s departure as a major loss, with the rehabilitation specialist accepting an offer from the Premier League champions.

According to ABC in Spain, Arsenal have strengthened their medical and performance department by signing Eneko Angulo, the head of rehabilitation for Real Betis’ first team.

Angulo leaves Betis after 12 years with the Spanish club, where he had worked across the youth academy before taking responsibility for first-team set-up.

Mateo Gonzalez reports that Angulo accepted a “lucrative offer” from the Premier League champions and Champions League finalists.

Angulo had initially developed his work at Betis as an assistant in Manuel Pellegrini’s first-team set-up, after previously gaining experience in the academy.

His rise through the club made his farewell a particularly emotional one, and he marked his departure with a long message to Betis.

“It’s not easy to say goodbye to you,” he wrote on X. “My arrival was as unexpected as my departure has been. Twelve years have passed between that young man who walked through your doors to do an internship in a newly created rehabilitation department at the youth academy and the person who says goodbye today.

“I never imagined the path we would travel together. I had the privilege of growing with you, of reaching the first team, of fulfilling dreams that seemed unattainable, of living moments and experiences I never could have imagined.

“I leave with millions of memories that I will never forget . It’s hard for me to accept that our paths are diverging. It’s hard for me to imagine my daily life away from you. You have been more than a club, more than a team, more than a job.

“You have been my home. Those who have shared this journey with me know this well. You were the place where I grew professionally, but also where I grew as a person. Where I found colleagues who became friends, people who will mark my life, and memories that will stay with me forever.”

“Today I leave with the peace of mind of having given everything I had. With mistakes, successes, better days and worse, but always with the same intention: to help, to contribute, and to represent you with the utmost commitment. I take with me much more than I leave behind. I take with me lessons learned, experiences, friendships, and a part of myself that will always belong to this place.

“Thank you to everyone who has made this chapter an unforgettable adventure. Thank you to every teammate, player, and staff member I’ve been fortunate enough to work with over these years. I take with me people and friends for life.

“Today I close a chapter that has been the most important of my professional and personal life. I do so with sadness for what I leave behind, but also with a deep sense of gratitude for everything we’ve experienced. Because although our paths diverge today, a part of me will always remain here. Thank you so much for everything. I love you, Betis.”

In response, Real Betis replied, “Thank you so much for these twelve years of dedication, work, and love for this club! We wholeheartedly wish you all the best, both personally and professionally, and tons of luck for what’s to come.”

There will, however, be a swift reunion. Arsenal are due to face Betis in Dublin on 5 August.

Arsenal have already let their doctor, Dr Zaf Iqbal go, while recruiting heavily from Aston Villa‘s medical department as they look to put an end to the number of injury problems they have suffered over recent years.

• Leaked: Arsenal away kit photos & release date

  Official pictures and a release date for Arsenal’s 2026/27 away kit have leaked online, with the shirt set to be made available to supporters this month.

  

  Footy Headlines report that Arsenal’s 2026/27 away kit is set to be released on July 23rd, with the new shirt going on sale in advance of the Gunners’ pre-season schedule.

  Official pictures of the replica kit have also leaked online, both the short-sleeved version shown above and the long-sleeved version shown below.

  

  As per the photos, the kit is a dark blue with yellow highlights, and red on the sleeves and the collar.

  The shirt uses Adidas’ Trefoil logo, rather than the three stripes, and the cannon logo rather than the Arsenal badge. The base pattern design carries on around the back and over the sleeves.

  

  The home kit has already been released, and the third kit is expected to be a paler yellow colour with navy blue accents and a thin line of red on the collar and sleeves once again.

  The third-kit shirt design uses a lightning pattern, with navy shorts and socks completing the look. Few photos of the shirt have leaked so far, but the image shown below is believed to be an official promotional photo.

  

• Mikel Arteta’s son trains with Arsenal u21s

  Mikel Arteta’s son spent time training with the Arsenal u21s this week, after signing scholarship terms with the club.

  

  Gabriel Arteta Bernal was pictured in training with the Arsenal u21s this week, with the u21 team returning to pre-season training after their summer break.

  The Premier League confirmed in June that Mikel Arteta’s son Gabriel had signed scholarship terms with the Gunners, including him on their ‘retained list’ for players under contract with Arsenal beyond June 30th.

  The 17-year-old is technically old enough for a professional contract, but for now he’s just on a scholarship deal in north London.

  

  Arteta Jr. made a couple of appearances for the Arsenal u17s last season, playing in a 1-1 friendly draw with Shrewsbury Town and a 3-3 Premier League Cup draw with Watford last October.

  The teenage winger then stepped up to the u18s in April and May, making four u18 Premier League appearances for the side.

  The youngster has also linked up with Arsenal pre-season training camps in the past, though his involvement in pre-season training in 2023 was actually helping out the coaching staff, rather than joining in with the drills as a player.

  

  Arsenal generally use rotated teams in the Premier League Cup and friendly matches, so it’s not a surprise that Gabriel got his first opportunities to play for the Gunners in those circumstances.

  But stepping up to the u18s in competitive matches, signing a scholarship deal, and training with the u21s is more concrete progress, and it suggests the 17-year-old could be set for further opportunities with the u18s this season.

  

• Ethan Nwaneri’s brother to sign new Arsenal contract

  Ethan Nwaneri’s younger brother Emerson is set to commit his future to the club, despite previous reports of concern that he wouldn’t sign a new deal.

  

  Next Generation Arsenal reports that Emerson Nwaneri will stay with Arsenal, following lengthy negotiations over a new contract. According to the claims, there was reported interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, but Emerson is happy with the Gunners and chose to stay.

  Assuming the report is correct, the younger Nwaneri brother will now sign a scholarship deal with Arsenal.

  

  Gary Jacob had reported for The Times in June that Arsenal were fighting to keep hold of Emerson Nwaneri this summer, with concern that the player wouldn’t sign a scholarship deal.

  Such an exit would have been a disappointing outcome for Arsenal, who had promoted Emerson to the u18s this season, and had even given him his debuts in the UEFA Youth League and the Premier League 2.

  

  The 15-year-old obviously hasn’t been fast-tracked as much as his brother, with Ethan already having made his Premier League debut by this point. But Emerson has still made appearances way above his age group.

  The teenager’s progress with Arsenal has also been recognised internationally, with England giving the youngster a number of appearances in their u16 team this season.

  It now looks as though he’s set for further chances with Arsenal in 2026/27.

  

• Why Declan Rice was substituted against Norway

  Thomas Tuchel has explained why Declan Rice was substituted during England’s World Cup quarter-final win over Norway on Saturday night.

  

  Arsenal’s Declan Rice managed to make the starting lineup for England’s game against Norway on Saturday, but he was withdrawn at half-time as part of a double change.

  When asked whether the decision was tactical or enforced by Rice’s recent illness, Thomas Tuchel suggested it was a bit of both.

  The primary aim was to bring on a more offensive player for the second half, but the reason Rice was selected to make way over Elliot Anderson was that he’d been struggling with illness during the week.

  

  “Declan, we made a decision in half-time to become more offensive, to have a bit of an offensive shift,” Tuchel explained.

  “We had to take Elliott [Anderson] or Declan out [and] knowing that Declan struggled after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed, I knew he cannot survive 90 minutes.

  “There was a possibility that it goes 120 [minutes], so I didn’t want to waste another change, so the decision was to take Declan out earlier than he needed to go out, just to save us another change later down the match.”

  

  The explanation makes sense, though it’s obviously not ideal that England needed to use Rice at all, in a week of illness struggles. Having the game off completely would have been preferable.

  England have just a few days to rest now, with the World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. Win or lose, the team will have another match at the weekend.

  After that, Rice and co. can finally begin their summer holidays, a matter of days before some of their club teammates return for pre-season.

  

• Future Arsenal player scores on senior debut with bizarre haircut

  Future Arsenal player Edwin Quintero scored on his senior debut for Independiente del Valle last week, sporting a unique haircut.

  

  Independiente del Valle twin brothers Edwin and Holger Quintero are committed to joining Arsenal when they turn 18 in August 2027, but for the time being they remain with IDV in Ecuador.

  As a result, Edwin Quintero was able to make his senior debut as a substitute last week, and he capped it with an excellent goal.

  With IDV already 3-0 up, Quintero received the ball on the right-hand side before playing a pass through the lines to Hugo Quintana.

  Quintana reversed a pass back into Quintero’s path, and the future Arsenal winger raced into the area, pulled off a ball roll to beat a defender, then fired into the net for his first senior goal. The goal is available to watch here or below from the timestamp 13:23.

  https://youtu.be/xnAKA9TdF7A?si=qf-xzcA8wPvVvwXs

  Yet viewers may have been left confused by Quintero’s patchy hairstyle during the match, clearly visible in the footage as he celebrated the goal and in photos of the event afterwards. After all, the player had a full head of hair when he signed for Arsenal in December.

  The explanation comes from a South American football ritual, with talkSPORT reporting that shaving a young player’s head is a rite of passage. The idea is to humble academy graduates for their first-team debut.

  

  Unlike Edwin, Holger Quintero is still waiting on his senior debut, but he did make the IDV first-team squad for their Copa Ecuador win over Deportivo Santo Domingo in midweek.

  Holger also won the Player of the Tournament award at the Liam Brady Cup at Hale End in May, so there’s not much to split the two brothers, and there’s plenty to be excited about when they finally arrive in north London for good.