Arsenal have gone as far as NASA in their search for an answer to ACL injuries, with Google and Apple also consulted as Mikel Arteta tries to keep his title-chasing squad on the pitch.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal staff were asked to contact some of the world’s biggest organisations for ideas on cutting injuries and speeding up recovery. NASA were approached for their work on space physiology, Google for data analytics and Apple for wearable technology.
It is the latest of the unusual methods Mikel Arteta has tried as Arsenal look to defend the Premier League title. Marginal gains have helped almost everywhere else, but injuries are the one area he has not been able to solve.
There is a slogan in the club’s medical room that sums up the thinking: “Your best ability is availability.” Arsenal have been chasing that idea since 2022-23, when one injury changed the course of a title race.
What do Arsenal want to learn from NASA?
NASA have spent years studying what reduced gravity does to the human body. With less load on it, muscles waste away and bone density drops, and the agency has also researched how the body readjusts once astronauts are back on Earth.
Arsenal believe there are lessons in that for ACL rehabilitation. The questions they wanted help with were practical ones:
- how much weight an injured player should bear at each stage of recovery
- how quickly that load should be increased
- whether reduced-gravity exercise could let players start running and loading movements earlier
- how to measure whether a player’s body is actually coping with the extra demands
Why ACL injuries hurt Arsenal so much
The men’s team have lost two players to the injury in recent seasons. Jurrien Timber tore his ACL on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest in August 2023 and was out for nearly nine months. Gabriel Jesus suffered the same injury in January 2025 and missed 332 days.
The women’s side have had it even worse. Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Victoria Pelova all suffered ACL injuries in 2022-23, and Manuela Zinsberger, Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid have followed in the last 18 months.
Where Google and Apple come in
Google, one of Arsenal’s official partners, were consulted on data analytics. The aim is to spot patterns linked to injury risk, such as small changes in a player’s running mechanics or physical output, before they turn into something worse.
Apple were asked about wearable technology to gather physiological data on how players respond to training and rehab. That included the idea of Apple Watches tracking heart rate and exercise intensity. Arsenal’s global profile helps open these doors, with big organisations keen to work with a club of their size.
A new medical team behind the scenes
The approach to NASA sits alongside a full overhaul of the medical department last summer. Spanish physio Joaquin Acedo, who has known Arteta since his time at Real Sociedad more than 20 years ago, came in, along with head of medical services Dr Arnaldo Abrantes and physiotherapist Carmen Marquez, both from Aston Villa.
Eneko Angulo was appointed head of player rehabilitation and Jose Jimenez joined as a fitness coach.
The injuries that have cost Arsenal before
Arteta knows exactly what an injury at the wrong time can do. In 2022-23, William Saliba was hurt in March and Rob Holding could not keep up the same high line and press, while Manchester City closed in and took the title. Saliba has missed time again this season, though he has now been declared fit for Slavia Prague after avoiding surgery.
In 2024-25, Jesus and Kai Havertz were both injured in January, which left Mikel Merino as the only fit striker. Havertz managed just seven league starts last season after damaging knee ligaments in the opener at Manchester United.
The numbers back it up. By the time Arsenal faced Club Bruges on 10 December 2025, they had suffered 95 injuries since the start of the 2024-25 Premier League season, not counting Declan Rice’s illness. Only Brighton, with 97, had more.
Bukayo Saka is the latest worry. The thigh strain he picked up at Bayern Munich is expected to keep him out for four to six weeks, and it is his 11th injury since September 2024.
Can NASA really help Arsenal win the big trophies?
It sounds a bit far-fetched at first, but it makes sense. Arsenal have the best squad they have had under Arteta, and the depth at centre-back shows how much cover he now has. What has stopped them is bodies breaking down at the worst moments, and money does not fix that on its own.
ACL injuries are random to a point, and no amount of data will stop every one. But if NASA’s work helps Arsenal judge rehab loads better and gets players like Timber back a few weeks sooner, that could be worth more than a January signing.
The squad are already top of the league and unbeaten in Europe. If Arteta can keep his best players fit through the spring this time, this is the season it could finally all come together.
