{"id":35780,"date":"2026-06-09T03:56:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/arsenal-lose-two-staff-members-after-mikel-arteta-sacks-key-players\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T03:56:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:56:25","slug":"arsenal-lose-two-staff-members-after-mikel-arteta-sacks-key-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/arsenal-lose-two-staff-members-after-mikel-arteta-sacks-key-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal lose two staff members after Mikel Arteta ‘sacks’ key players"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Arsenal will lose two key backroom staff as head doctor Zafar Iqbal partes ways with the club, while Under-21 coach Max Porter will join Stoke City after nine years in north London.<\/h2>\n
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21:58, 08 June 2026<\/span>Updated June 8, 2026 22:41<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Arsenal sack head doctor Zafar Iqbal (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Arsenal have decided to sack head doctor Zafar Iqbal and are also poised to sack Max Porter, head coach of the Under-21 team. The Gunners reportedly parted ways with Iqbal immediately after losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.<\/p>\n
According to the Telegraph, the 51-year-old was called to a meeting on June 1 and told he was being made redundant with immediate effect. A month ago, it was reported that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta had enlisted the help of Spanish physiotherapist Joaqu\u00edn Acedo.<\/p>\n
The move came after the season was hampered by multiple injuries to key players. It remains unclear whether this spell with Ased influenced his choice to part ways with Iqbal.<\/p>\n
Dr Iqbal was seen celebrating with his team on the pitch when Arsenal were presented with the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park. A few weeks later he was relieved of his duties.<\/p>\n
This is an important change for the Gunners, even if there are still months until the new campaign. They will also lose Porter, the under-21 team coach who has also worked with the first team.<\/p>\n
He will join Stoke City after nine years in various capacities in north London. He moved to the capital in July 2017 to coach Under-9s football, and has since held positions with the Under-13s, Under-17s and Under-19s teams, before becoming assistant coach for the Under-21s in July 2022.<\/p>\n
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Max Porter to leave Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Porter was appointed as Under-21 manager last summer after Mehmet Ali moved to Brentford as first-team assistant coach under Keith Andrews. Porter will now join Stoke in a similar role.<\/p>\n
He will work with the Championship side as part of Mark Robins’ backroom team. Porter was highly regarded in north London and helped establish the first team.<\/p>\n
He will need all kinds of experience to make his mark at Stoke. The Potters had a dismal performance in the Championship last season, finishing a lowly 17th place.<\/p>\n
They got off to a good start and were still in the play-off spots in round 19, but a 4-0 defeat against Sheffield United was a turning point that caused a dramatic downturn. Stoke fell out of the top six and although a brief resurgence suggested a late play-off place, poor performances once again plagued them.<\/p>\n
Robbins has since been retained as manager by the club, with Porter’s appointment seen as a vote of confidence for the former Coventry City manager. The former Arsenal manager is expected to fill the vacancy left by Paul Nevin, who resigned as assistant manager in February.<\/p>\n
For now, it remains unclear who will replace Porter within the club’s academy structure.<\/p>\n
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![\"Zafar](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37266511.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Zafar-Iqbal.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Max](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37266537.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Max-Porter.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"content](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33404045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/)
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