Our beloved head coach and definitely the best looking Spaniard we know, Mikel Arteta, has been tested positive for the coronavirus in a shock announcement by the club tonight.
The club announced that the training ground is now closed, and all members of staff including all of our players will now need to self-isolate.
As a result of the news, it comes as no surprise that the game against Brighton has been called off and there is more talk of all games being called off as the virus takes hold. The Premier League are expected to meet on Friday to discuss the coming fixtures, and it’s thought that more upcoming games will be postponed.
Arteta seemed fairly calm when interviewed about the diagnosis:
“This is really disappointing, I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed…”
Our game against Manchester City was also postponed after it was announced that Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis contracted coronavirus, and was at The Emirates two weeks ago for our Europa League exit. It’s also been reported that City defender Benjamin Mendy (or Benjy Mendy as I call him) is also self-isolating after a member of his family was taken ill.
It’s also been announced that Leicester players are self-isolating, next week’s game between Man City and Real Madrid has also been postponed, but the Premier League, as of Thursday night are still adamant all of the other games will go ahead as planned. There are rumours that this summer’s Euro 2020 Championships could also be moved forward to next summer as the pandemic sweeps across the world.
Get well soon Mikel (an avid reader of ArsenalShorts of course), and fingers crossed he makes a swift recovery – stay safe out there Gooners!
