Arsenal’s hugely-respected head of medical services Gary O’Driscoll is set to leave the club for Manchester United, report The Athletic.
O’Driscoll joined the club in 2009 from Ireland Rugby and has helped reshape a medical department that has grown considerably and now incorporates physiotherapists, soft tissue therapists, performance specialists, researchers and alike.
He’s based at London Colney and oversees the first team, under-21s and academy players.
O’Driscoll came very close to leaving Arsenal for Liverpool in January 2020 – the club even advertised for his replacement – but he was persuaded to stay by the recently appointed Mikel Arteta with whom he built a strong relationship during the Spaniard’s playing days.
A few months later, after the Gunners beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the FA Cup, Arteta was caught on camera saying to Gary: “I told you, I told you. Believe in me, my friend. Believe!”
The 52-year-old, who was born in Manchester, will serve a notice period during which he’ll help with the search for his successor.
News of his impending exit comes 24 hours after it was revealed that assistant manager Steve Round is also be leaving.
With our past injury record maybe this isn’t totally a bad thing. New ideas = fewer/shorter injuries….
Maybe
My own deductions on the historic injury front was due to the training facilities. When we were getting a lot of injuries I believe we were regularly training on astroturf/3G pitches. We spent a significant sum on upgrading our training facilities and switched to grass, and since then our injury situation has improved significantly. At that time we had the highly regarded Gary Lewin who I think was also England physio – so the staff was not the problem – touch wood we’ve now addressed the root cause
I think this all about phase 3 or 4 of Mikel’s master plan where we infiltrate our rivals and injure them from within before we even play them
So talented at multiple roles, Mr. Santi Cazorla is going for Assistance coach and head of medical services 😲
Apparently his leaving note said “Smith Rowe, Tierney and Tomiyasu are all fit. My work here is done”.
“PS. Somebody in the treatment room farted and Thomas Partey is now carrying another injury.”
Report to the Abou Diaby Suite
Will say the policies easing players back to fitness after injury have seemingly come full-circle since Arteta came aboard. Think we’ve benefitted quite a lot by being certain Martinelli and now ESR were ready to resume duty.
This comes as surprise though. Here’s wishing you all the best in all your future endeavours, O’ Driscoll. And thanks for all the great work you put in all these years.
Blessings 🙏🏾
Can’t really wish him all the best at professional level….there are 3 teams that I can’t really wish anything for and united is one of them.
However, wish you all the best in your personal life and a good health and a happy family! Keep that Rashford kid in the injury room as long as you can.
Mo’ money is universally never a surprise.
GO’Dspeed
Yeah that’s the type of new we will get from arsenal as the transfer business is by large done and dusted
I wonder what the drive is behind the latest two staff members leaving?
FFP
Renewal. Got to keep things fresh. There is a correct balance between stability which leads to growth and stagnation. He’s been at the club for 13 years, probably time to find some new challenges.
Well, O’Driscoll was born in Manchester.
Don’t think Arteta is looking at Cazorla. Sad He’s going. May be for family reasons having been born in Manchester. There are still experts there maybe even in England and Europe.
If he was considering Liverpool and now Manchester, it does sound quite plausible that he wants to return North
It’s grim up there according to the KLF.
Easier than working in the NHS I guess, and a lot better paid.
Why? Why is everyone leaving us? First it was Xhaka and then Arteta’s assistant followed a
now this. This is too much for me even as an Arsenal fan 😭😭😭
Van Persie levels of snakeness.
Aw but RVP only wanted to live his boyhood dream. He wanted it so hard he ended up in Turkey still looking for it.
Uhm RvP wasn’t offered a new contract and the next club that did, and won the Pemier league.
Yep blame Gazidis for regularly letting talent slip away because we were too cheap to renegotiate a contract before the last 2 years. And always giving 3 year contracts. Insanity
What about a coincidence? 🤔
Hmmm. We can never have just s nice flow of positive news at this club can we, always has to be some departures and gaps to fill off field if it starts going well on field !
“Without a bit of suffering (sadness), life would lose all bearing.” – Schopenhauer (I think).
“Life would lose a bit of suffering, without all these bears” – Schopenhauer (while being attacked by bears)
Do we get any money for this “transfer”?
Departments need revamping from time to time, new faces, new ideas, hopefully upgrades in all positions,
I wish them all the best in the future
Shouldn’t make a noticeable difference to anything, good luck to him. Man U though? Ew….
He is by all accounts a lovely person and I think he will be missed. Wishing him health and happiness.
First Round and then O’Driscoll. Coincidence?
Yes coincidence – two different circumstances. Not even a freakish coincidence. It’s the close-season. People change jobs, and in the football industry, non-playing staff most frequently change jobs at this time.
Guy used to do Lions tours – I was watching a rugby video the other day with clips from like 2009 and saw him celebrating on the sidelines, was like seeing a Starbucks cup in a Tudor documentary. I’m not going to pretend I know squat about being a club doctor but he’s clearly at the top of his profession and very well-regarded. Best of luck to him.
I’m very uncomfortable with any contact with Man U
Hope he takes plenty of hand sanitizer
I hope he has lots of work to do at United.
He was sent as underground spy and infiltration to the Man U camp, they will have more injuries this season 🤣
It’s not like we didn’t have injuries we thought they should have been dealt with it better. Farewell to him we move on