Arsenal send 12-word message to ex player fighting 'brain illness' in hospital

Former Arsenal star Kristoffer Olsson has been put on a ventilator in hospital after losing consciousness at home. The 28-year-old is 'suffering from what appears to be an acute brain-related illness'.

The midfielder currently plays for Danish side Midtjylland and the club issued an update regarding the player's health situation after he was taken to Aarhus University Hospital on 20 February.

The club said: "Everyone in FC Midtjylland is of course deeply affected by Kristoffer's sudden illness. Kristoffer Olsson is suffering from what appears to be an acute brain-related illness, which is neither due to self-inflicted harm of any kind nor due to external factors. A team of leading Danish medical experts are currently working under pressure to make a diagnosis and initiate the correct treatment."

Olsson may not be a name all too familiar for Arsenal supporters but the Sweden international began his career at the Gunners. He was part of the youth academy in North London between 2011 and 2013, and made his first team debut in a League Cup match in September 2013.

That was the only senior appearance the midfielder made for Arsenal as he was then loaned to Midtjylland before joining permanently in 2015. He spent two years with the side before leaving in 2017 to go on to play for AIK, Krasnodar and Anderlecht before returning in 2022.

Writing on social media platform X, the official Arsenal account said: "Get well soon, Kristoffer. We wish you a full and speedy recovery."

Olsson has missed Midtjylland's last two Danish Superliga fixtures and last represented the outfit against Fredrikstad in the Atlantic Cup on February 9. The star has looked back fondly at his time at Arsenal in the past but admitted that he may have taken the jump to sign for the club as a youth star too early - he arrived at the Gunners academy as a teenager from IFK Norrköping in 2011.

He said: “Nowadays when I see 16-year-olds, I realise that it’s very early to make the big jump. But at that time, I felt strong enough to do it. My family didn’t push me at all, but they supported me and let me live my dream. When Arsenal calls you, it’s hard to resist. For three years, I was in a host family who took care of me, but I was far away from my family. In the end, I only played one game there.”