Arsenal Consults NASA, Google and Apple in Unprecedented Injury Push
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has consulted NASA, Google, and Apple to tackle the club's injury crisis, exploring aerospace research, advanced data analytics, and wearable tech.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has taken an unconventional approach to solving the club's persistent injury crisis by reaching out to NASA, Google, and Apple for technological and scientific solutions.
According to media reports, Arsenal staff were tasked with consulting leading global organizations to leverage their expertise in reducing injuries and accelerating rehabilitation. Since the 2022/23 season, Arteta has sought solutions outside traditional football boundaries to protect player fitness.
The inquiry to NASA focused on research regarding the effects of gravity on the human body, particularly exploring how these findings could aid rehabilitation from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. NASA studies muscle degradation and bone density under reduced gravity conditions, and Arsenal sought to apply this knowledge to recovering players.
The club examined optimal weight-bearing levels during various rehabilitation stages, safe progression rates, and whether training in simulated reduced-gravity environments could accelerate a player's return to running. The goal is to accurately identify when the body can handle increased loads to minimize the risk of re-injury.
Consultations with club partner Google centered on advanced data analytics to identify patterns indicating elevated injury risks, including biomechanical shifts and physical metrics. Meanwhile, discussions with Apple focused on wearable technologies, such as smartwatches monitoring heart rate, activity intensity, and physiological data during training and rehabilitation.
This proactive strategy stems from Arsenal's high injury rate in recent years. Jurrien Timber missed nearly nine months after tearing his ACL in August 2023, while Gabriel Jesus was sidelined for 332 days following a similar injury in January 2025. Arsenal's women's team has also faced severe injuries of this nature.
By December 2025, reports indicated Arsenal had registered 95 injuries since the start of the 2024/25 season, second only to Brighton in the Premier League with 97. This season, Arteta's plans were disrupted again when Bukayo Saka sustained a hamstring strain against Bayern Munich, sidelining him for four to six weeks—marking his 11th injury since September 2024.
Alongside technological initiatives, Arsenal restructured its medical department over the summer, welcoming Spanish physiotherapist Joaquin Asenjo alongside Dr. Arnaldo Abrantes and Carmen Marquez from Aston Villa. A motto now displayed on the wall of Arsenal's treatment room encapsulates the new philosophy: "Your best ability is availability."
