Mikel Arteta: Arsenal manager tests positive for coronavirus

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus. The club’s game against Brighton on Saturday postponed.

The Gunners have closed their training ground and club staff who had recent contact with Arteta will now self-isolate.

The Premier League will hold “an emergency club meeting” on Friday to discuss future fixtures.

“This is really disappointing,” said Spaniard Arteta, 37.

“I took the test after feeling poorly. I will work as soon as I m allowed.”

Arsenal expects a “significant number of people” will self-isolate, including the “full first-team squad”.

The club was due to face Brighton in the Premier League at Amex Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT). But Brighton released a statement shortly after confirmation of Arteta’s positive test, announcing that the game had called off.

BBC Sport understands all 20 Premier League clubs want to decide on a unified strategy, and one of the possible options that will be discussed at the meeting is postponing the rest of this weekend’s scheduled fixtures.

Arsenal’s Premier League match with Manchester City on Wednesday has postponed as a “precautionary measure”. There are several of Gunners players who went into self-isolation after Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis contracted coronavirus.

Arsenal said Marinakis, 52, met a number of their players when the Gunners hosted the Greek side in a Europa League match two weeks ago.

The club mention there have none players or staff has tested for coronavirus.

Then, Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is self-isolating as a precaution after a member of his family was admitted to hospital displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

Three Leicester City first-team players have also self-isolated after showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Releated