Aston Villa are set to lose their head doctor, Arnaldo Abrantes, to Arsenal following his departure from the Midlands club. Abrantes will replace Zafar Iqbal in the role, who is leaving the Premier League champions. The Portuguese sprinter is set to arrive in July, joining two other doctors who have left Villa, including Carmen Marquez, to move to Arsenal in recent months. The Midlands club have already moved to secure his replacement. Abrantes spent three years at Nottingham Forest from August 2020 to 2023, following a sprinting career that saw him qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Iqbal, 51, joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in 2023, replacing Gary O’Driscoll, who left the club to join Manchester United after spending 16 years in north London. Arsenal sustained several injuries last season despite ending their 22-year wait for a league trophy, and reaching the finals of the Champions League and Carabao Cup. Captain Martin Odegaard was limited to 36 appearances in all competitions and started just 16 Premier League games due to a range of knee and muscular injuries. Meanwhile Bukayo Saka is still not 100 per cent fit, England manager Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday, after “playing through the pain” for Arsenal towards the end of the season.