Arsenal sack key figure at club days after Champions League final

Arsenal have reportedly shown head doctor Zafar Iqbal the door.

According to The Telegraph, the Gunners informed Iqbal his services were no longer required in a meeting last Monday.

Getty

The report adds Iqbal’s exit was a major shock to himself and the rest of the club’s medical staff.

Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick was tasked with relieving Iqbal of his duties.

The brutal decision was made just days after Arsenal fell to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Dropping like flies

Iqbal’s work came under scrutiny this season given the alarming amount of Gunners players who got injured.

The likes of captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all spent prolonged periods on the sideline with respective issues.

Only Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly and back-up goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga featured in every one of the Gunners’ 38 Premier League matchday squads.

Despite losing several key players at vital parts of the season, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made full use of his squad throughout their 63-game season across four competitions.

A healthy squad is a winning squad

The Gunners survived a late wobble in the Premier League to end their 22-year wait for domestic glory, finishing seven points clear of Manchester City.

Arteta’s side also reached the final of the Carabao Cup, only to fall at the final hurdle against City.

Their FA Cup exit was far less glamorous though, as Arsenal exited the competition in the quarter-finals due to a shock 2-1 loss to Championship side Southampton.

Getty

Regardless, winning the Premier League constituted a successful campaign for the Gunners given they had finished second in the top flight for three-straight years previously.

Arsenal had to wait until the final day of the Premier League season to be officially coronated champions though, with the champagne being officially uncorked following a 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace.

Although they couldn’t make it a delightful double, it didn’t stop over one million people from lining the streets of north London to celebrate their Premier League triumph.

Arteta will now turn his attention to preparing for next season as Arsenal look to become the first team outside of City to successfully defend their Premier League title in 18 years.

That honour belongs to Manchester United, who won the league three seasons in a row between 2006 and 2009.

However, only City have been able to successfully defend their Premier League crown in the years that have followed.