Arsenal have confirmed head coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus.
The Spaniard admitted he is “disappointed” after discovering the news, but remaining in good spirits.
The news comes after the Premier League had confirmed that games would go ahead this weekend despite many of Europe's major leagues being suspended. An emergency meeting will now take place with a strong possibility that the season will indeed be suspended as of tomorrow.
A statement from the club read: “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.”
Arteta admitted he was disappointed by the news but is looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible.
Arteta said: “This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”
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.”
