The Premier League have scheduled an emergency meeting for tomorrow after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta tested positive for Coronavirus. England’s top-flight is one of the last remaining major leagues in Europe to not announce any sort of plans to combat the spread of the pandemic, but it seems that efforts to do this will now be sped up given the news coming out of Arsenal.
Premier League Schedule Emergency Meeting After Mikel Arteta Tests Positive for Coronavirus
London Colney Closed
Arsenal’s training centre at London Colney has been closed due to the news surrounding head coach Mikel Arteta. Club personnel who recently had any contact with the Spaniard will now self-isolate in line with the current guidelines set out by the government.
Those who did not have close contact with Arteta are expected to return to the club in the coming days. In addition, both the London Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean. Other club sites are operating as normal.
It is not yet known whether Colney’s closure will affect Watford, who also train at another part of the St Albans site.
In a statement on the club website, Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham said: “The health of our people and the wider public is our priority and that is where our focus is. Our thoughts are with Mikel who is disappointed but in good spirits. We are in active dialogue with all the relevant people to manage this situation appropriately, and we look forward to getting back to training and playing as soon as medical advice allows.”
Head of football Raul Sanllehi added: “Mikel and the full first-team squad, players and staff, will be fully supported, and we look forward to getting back to training and playing as soon as medical advice allows. Obviously Mikel’s full recovery is the priority now for us all.”
Test Prompts Emergency Meeting
Leagues across Europe including Serie A, La Liga and the Eredivisie have been suspended, while the latest on the Premier League and the EFL took far longer to be concluded.
The EFL have said that games will go ahead as normal this weekend, but in light of the news regarding Mikel Arteta, the Premier League have chaired an emergency meeting to decide on the fate of future fixtures.
In terms of immediate future, Arsenal’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion has been confirmed as postponed in a statement by the Seagulls.
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