It has been reported that Arsenal have appointed Irish man Barry Solan as the club’s new Strength and Conditioning coach.

.@radiomidwest report that @MayoGAA senior S&C coach @BarrySolan has been appointed Strength & Conditioning coach at Arsenal FC. #mayogaa — Mayo News – Sport (@mayonewssport) July 6, 2015

The Mayo native is currently working with the Mayo GAA and is expected to join up with the Gunners when that season is complete.

If we look at the staff roles on the official website, it looks as if this is a new role, adding to recent additions in this area as Arsene Wenger looks to improve the fitness of his squad. Shad Forsythe was appointed as Head of Performance Enhancement last summer, while last month Huddersfield head physio, James Haycock, replaced Declan Lynch as first team physio.

Solan has had an interesting career, working with the Polish national team, and with EXOS – the same organisation with whom Shad Forsythe worked before his role with the German national side.

The Irish Coaching Institute says of Solan:

He holds an honours degree in Sports Science and Post Graduate Certification in Physical Education from St Mary’s University College, Strawberry Hill, London.

He is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S), National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Performance Enhancement Specialist (P.E.S), Certified Golf Fitness Instructor (CGFI) through the Titleist Performance Institute, Functional Movement Screen Specialist with Functional Movement Systems (FMS) and is presently pursuing his masters in Strength & Conditioning from Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia [which we assume he now has)]

So, another behind the scenes appointment to our fitness staff, and after the progress made in the second half of last season, let’s hope the new man can have an impact too.