3rd key member of Arsenal fitness staff to leave

Arsenal head of sports science and performance Tom Allen is the latest key staff member to leave the club this summer, according to a report.

Sami Mokbel and Alex Howell report for the BBC that Arsenal head of sports science and performance Tom Allen is set to leave the club, joining head of medical Zafar Iqbal and lead performance coach Sam Wilson in departing this summer.

The departures coincide with an internal Arsenal review of their medical term by Joaquin Acedo, with the BBC reporting that Acedo’s influence on the summer changes has been significant.

Though not everyone departing has been forced out, with previous reports suggesting Wilson had the option to stay and chose to leave for a more senior role.

Various media outlets have reported that Real Betis’ Eneko Angulo could be set to join Aston Villa’s Arnaldo Abrantes in filling the unexpected gap behind the scenes in the Arsenal medical team, though those appointments haven’t yet been confirmed.

Then Arsenal are in talks to appoint Pascal De Maesschalck as their new academy manager after Per Mertesacker’s exit, and the Arsenal u21 head coach position is also vacant after Max Porter’s move to Stoke City.

Further up the hierarchy, Arsenal are reportedly also bringing in Javier Alonso from Spanish Segunda Division club Granada CF to work alongside Andrea Berta, with Maurizio Micheli already joining from Napoli earlier this year.

So it’s been a summer of change behind the scenes already, even if very little has changed with the actual playing squad at this stage.

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