Arsenal's head of sports medicine Dr Gary O'Driscoll has performed a remarkable U-turn and opted to remain at the Gunners having been bound to join league leaders Liverpool.
O'Driscoll had been set to move to Anfield where he would replace Andrew Massey, who left the club to join FIFA as its director of medical.
However, as first reported by the Athletic, O'Driscoll had a late change of heart and has opted to continue his 11-year stay in north London.
football.london understands that the doctor opted to remain at Arsenal for personal and professional reasons. Whilst he was flattered by the interest from the Premier League's top side his family were keen to remain in London. Equally O'Driscoll is known to be excited by the direction his current employers are heading in under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal had reluctantly accepted that O'Driscoll would depart in January and had even advertised for the post of head of medical services before they successfully convinced the incumbent to remain in place.
O'Driscoll is a widely-admired figure in the sports medical industry and worked as team doctor on two British and Irish Lions tours before switching from rugby union to football.
Arsenal will view their ability to retain O'Driscoll, one of the few senior medical staff to survive the culls that came after the departures of both Arsene Wenger and Darren Burgess, as a significant coup.
O'Driscoll is among the figures leading Arsenal's response to the coronavirus crisis, which saw the Gunners close their training ground on Thursday night after the revelation that Mikel Arteta had contracted COVID-19.
With the first team squad self-isolating until Wednesday March 25 at the earliest Arsenal have sent their players individual training plans and, for those that require it, gym equipment.
