Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager tests positive for coronavirus

March 13, 2020 Anytime Football European Leagues, Premier League
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager tests positive for coronavirus

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus and their Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday has been cancelled.

Arteta will now self-isolate in line with government health guidelines and it is expected the first-team squad – along with coaching staff – will do the same.

Arsenal’s trip to Brighton has now been called off after the Gunners closed their training ground.

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.

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal Manager

Arteta admitted he was disappointed by the news but is looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible. 

Our London Colney training centre has been closed after head coach Mikel Arteta received a positive COVID-19 result this evening. Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines.

We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution. 

We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.

Arsenal Statement

How things unfolded on Thursday

  • 14:06 GMT – Brendan Rodgers says three Leicester City players have self-isolated after showing symptoms.
  • 16:00 GMT – Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid, due to take place on Tuesday, is postponed.
  • 17:25 GMT – Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK government is considering banning sporting fixtures – but it will not happen immediately.
  • 20:45 GMT – Manchester City say defender Benjamin Mendy is self-isolating as a precaution.
  • 21:30 GMT – The Premier League announces all this weekend’s games “will go ahead as scheduled”.
  • 22:17 GMT – Arsenal say manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus.
  • 22:33 GMT – The Premier League announces it will hold “an emergency club meeting” on Friday to discuss future fixtures.

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