Mikel Arteta Amatriain

The loss meant Arsenal were eliminated at the third-round stage of the competition for only the second time in 26 seasons.

Arteta was back on the bench after a bout of coronavirus forced him to miss arguably their best performance of the season in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City last weekend.

But he was not happy with what he saw at the City Ground, with substitute Lewis Grabban getting the winner for Forest, who were also the last team to beat Arsenal at this stage of the FA Cup.

Speaking after the game, Arteta told ITV Sport: "We are out of the competition and we have to apologise.

"When you have nine players out, that's a big explanation, but still I don't want to use excuses.

"The team we put out, I expected them to play better and to compete better than we did.

"When you don't do that in a cup against any opponent, you're out.

"What we've done today is nowhere near the standard required."

The 34th-minute withdrawal of left-back Nuno Tavares after a very sloppy start was the first indicator of potential frustration on Arteta's part.

Yet he opted against criticising the youngster, putting it down to a desire to simply change the level of the team.

Asked if it summed up his frustration, Arteta added: "No, it was a decision you have to make in certain moments to try improve the performance of the team, and that's what I did."

Arsenal will look to get this defeat out of their system as soon as possible, with an EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool and a north London derby trip to Tottenham on the horizon.

The latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) put the number of confirmed cases at 86,927 in 59 countries, with 2,976 people killed.

Sporting events have been affected as countries take measures to contain the outbreak, with Swiss Super League and some Serie A fixtures having been postponed this weekend.

Matches in England have not yet been disrupted but, with 23 confirmed cases of the disease in the UK as of early on Sunday, there are growing concerns that competitions could be impacted.

Arsenal head coach Arteta insists there is no great anxiety within the club but accepts the players' families, particularly those from abroad, are worried.

Arteta also made it clear the club are following advice from authorities as they prepare for Monday's FA Cup fifth-round meeting with Portsmouth on Monday.

"[We are] not anxious," he said. "Obviously, we read the information, it's all the time in the media.

"Our families are concerned. We have a lot of foreign players with foreign families in different countries so it's something that is on a daily basis.

"The club and the authorities are in contact every day. We are following all the instructions from the club doctor.

"So far, the protocols we have been doing are enough but obviously don't know to what stage it is going to develop.

"We've seen in other countries the difficult decisions they have to make around it to protect the situation, so we have to wait and see and be guided by them."

Arsenal endured a difficult week as they exited the Europa League following a shock 2-1 home defeat to Olympiacos on Thursday, which saw them lose the last-32 tie on away goals.

Arteta is now hoping for a long run in the FA Cup to bring some positivity to the Gunners' season.

"It's really special," he said of the competition. "It's probably one of the nicest games and days of the season when you play the final day in England, at Wembley, nice weather and an incredible atmosphere.

"And you know, it's a trophy that's been very much linked with our history. So, we want to continue to be attached to that, knowing that on Monday night in Portsmouth, it will be tough."

All three title contenders – Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – are in action twice this week, with the Gunners taking on Chelsea and Tottenham in two huge London derbies.

They returned to the top of the table with Saturday's 2-0 win over injury-hit Wolves, but with City possessing a game in hand, the destination of the trophy remains out of their hands. 

Following a difficult few days in which Arsenal surrendered control of the title race and exited the Champions League against Bayern Munich, Arteta was delighted with their response at Molineux. 

"If you look at the amount of games we have played in the last few weeks, the type of games we have played, their effort is unquestionable and the results are something else," Arteta said.

"It's a joy to work with them, and it makes us realise we want to be involved in the big competitions, fighting for the Champions League, fighting for the Premier League with the level that it requires."

Chelsea's ambitions, meanwhile, are limited to securing qualification for either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, with their hopes of silverware being dashed on Saturday. 

They were guilty of spurning several golden opportunities in their 1-0 defeat to City at Wembley Stadium, with their wait for a first trophy under the Todd Boehly regime being extended.

Mauricio Pochettino, though, is choosing to take the positives from that game as the Blues bid to draw level with Newcastle United and Manchester United in the table on Tuesday.  

"Now we need to take the positive things from the game," Pochettino said. "This group of players needs these types of moments and games.

"Now is the time to finish the season in the best way and then see how we can do better next season."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Arsenal – Leandro Trossard

Trossard scored in October's reverse fixture as Arsenal fought back from 2-0 down to clinch a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, and he has provided an invaluable source of goals from the left wing in recent games, with Gabriel Jesus struggling.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion man is enjoying his most prolific Premier League campaign, with nine goals, and only Bukayo Saka (14) has netted more for the Gunners this term.

Chelsea – Nicolas Jackson

Jackson missed several clear-cut chances as Chelsea failed to make the breakthrough against City at Wembley on Saturday, and he is perhaps running out of chances to show he can be the Blues' long-term solution in that number nine role.

Jackson's 10 Premier League goals this season have come from a total of 13.98 expected goals (xG), giving him an underperformance of -3.98. Only Dominic Calvert Lewin (-5.98) and Darwin Nunez (-4.1) have underperformed their underlying numbers by a greater margin.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal have only lost one of their last eight Premier League games against Chelsea (five wins, two draws), going unbeaten through their last four against them. That is their longest such streak versus the Blues since they went 19 matches against them without defeat between 1995 and 2005.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (four wins, four draws) and have scored multiple goals in each of their last six. However, that run could come to a halt at the Emirates, with Arsenal possessing a strong record in the biggest games this term.

City and Liverpool have already left north London defeated this season, and Arsenal have not lost back-to-back home Premier League games since April 2022. Chelsea should be competitive, but the Gunners cannot afford to miss this chance to pull clear of their rivals. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal 51%

Chelsea 22.5%

Draw 26.5%

The Arsenal manager worked under Guardiola at Manchester City before taking charge at Emirates Stadium in December 2019, and is now in the middle of a title race in the Premier League with his former mentor.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Friday's game between the Gunners and City and the Etihad Stadium, Arteta said he was inspired by Guardiola, and compared his impact on football to that of Johan Cruyff.

"I feel gratitude, first of all, because he inspired me as a player, and he inspired me and gave me the opportunity as a coach," the Spaniard said. 

"I wouldn't probably have had the career that I had as a player, the understanding of the game or the purpose that I had as a player if he hadn't been at that time at Barcelona.

"And I wouldn't be sitting here and having that willingness and that love for coaching if we hadn't crossed in my life and he hadn't given the opportunity that he gave me. That's it."

Arteta spent three years as a player in Barcelona's C and B teams before leaving for Rangers in 2002, while Guardiola was a part of the Blaugrana's first team at the same time.

"I was looking at him and I just wanted to do it what he was doing," Arteta explained. "And I loved the way he played and the way he was transmitting on the pitch and his understanding what was happening on the pitch. It was an inspiration, since I was 18 years old."

Guardiola helped turn Barca into a dominant force as a head coach, before successful spells at Bayern Munich and City, and Arteta said he has picked up a lot from working with him closely.

"I think the influence that Pep has had on football in the past 20 years, it's just incredibly powerful," he said. "He changed the game, like Johan did in the past... we have been inspired by a lot of things that he's done. 

"Everyone has to build his own career and his own pathway. A career is not for six months, or a year, or two years. Let's see and let everybody develop the way that they should."

The Gunners swept aside Bournemouth as Saka's penalty opened the scoring before late second-half finishes from Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice sealed another much-needed victory.

With two games to spare, Arsenal have equalled their Premier League win tally from last season (26), only in 1930-31 (28) and 1970-71 (29) have the Gunners won more games in a single top-flight campaign.

That is in large part thanks to Saka, who became the first player to score 20 goals for Arsenal in a season (all competitions) since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20 (29 goals).

He is also the first Englishman to do so for the club since Theo Walcott in 2012-13 (21 goals) and Arteta was quick to praise star winger Saka.

"The level of consistency compared to last year is very similar," the Arsenal manager said at his post-match press conference. 

"There are areas he's better in. I see a different edge to him in the way he competes. He loves winning more than three months ago."

Kai Haverz won Saka's first-half penalty, though Bournemouth may feel the Arsenal forward triggered contact with goalkeeper Mark Travers.

The Cherries also had a goal disallowed at 2-0 down when Dominic Solanke was adjudged to have fouled David Raya before Antoine Semenyo turned into an empty net.

A lengthy VAR check followed both decisions but Arteta refused to comment on either incident, suggesting he had not seen them back yet.

"The honest answer is I haven't seen any of the incidents because I knew you were going to ask me," he added.

"They said do you want to see it and I said no so I can give you an honest answer!"

All 10 of Arsenal’s outfield starters attempted at least one shot in this game, the first time this has happened in a Premier League game for the Gunners since January 2022 against Burnley.

Gabriel Magalhaes almost got in the act but his strike was ruled out late on for offside, before Rice managed to add gloss to a dominant performance.

Rice was playing for West Ham last season as Arsenal capitulated in the title race against Man City, though the England international is hoping for a different outcome this time around.

"I wasn't here last year but I can sense that we are embracing it," the Arsenal midfielder told TNT Sports as Man City prepare to host Wolves later on Saturday.

"Man City are a machine and they don't lose many. Anything can happen in football. Surprises can happen and miracles can happen and we just have to stay focused."

Arsenal will continue to go about their business in hope of Man City slipping up, the Gunners have won 14 of their 16 Premier League games in 2024 (D1 L1), scoring 51 goals and conceding just eight in reply.

Indeed, the Gunners have won the most points in the competition since the turn of the year (43), but Arteta's side remain reliant on favours from elsewhere in the title race.

Saka was withdrawn in the second half of a victory at the Kassam Stadium on Monday that set up a fourth-round tie at Manchester City.

Arsenal face fierce rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday and the sight of Saka limping off was a concern for the leaders.

But Gunners manager Arteta revealed the England winger is "fine" ahead of the short trip to do battle with Spurs this weekend.

Arsenal outclassed League One side Oxford following a lacklustre first-half display, Mohamed Elneny opening the scoring before the in-form Eddie Nketiah helped himself to a clinical quickfire double.

Vieira came into the starting line-up as one of seven changes made by Arteta and whipped in a brilliant free-kick for Elneny to break the deadlock with a header, then set up Nketiah for the second goal.

The midfielder has endured a frustrating start to his Gunners career due to injury, but Arteta is in no doubt he will prove to be a shrewd signing.

Arteta told ITV Sport: "He has the quality. He is a really creative player, and he can decide games in the final third. He made a difference."

Nketiah has scored four goals in as many games since the World Cup in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus, taking his tally for the season to seven.

Arteta said of the striker's form: "It is what we want from every player. I am delighted. You have to be scoring goals, and he is doing it."

He added: "We have only one [striker]. And to cope for that many months until Gabby's back is not easy. We have to make the most out of the players we've got."

Arteta worked under the tutelage of Guardiola as his assistant from July 2016 until departing to replace Unai Emery as Arsenal head coach last December.

Earlier this month, Arteta had an unhappy return to the Etihad Stadium as the Gunners were beaten 3-0 by City when the Premier League returned from its coronavirus hiatus.

He has a chance to avenge that defeat before the end of the campaign after the teams were drawn to face one another in the FA Cup semi-finals, with Arsenal overcoming Sheffield United and City defeating Newcastle United to make the last four.

Arteta recognises the challenge Arsenal face but acknowledges to win the biggest prizes Arsenal have to overcome the best teams.

"We have spoken a few times in recent weeks. Facing them again in the semi-final is a tricky one but look at the level of the teams who are involved in the competition," Arteta said. 

"If you want to win the title, you have to beat the best teams and if we want to do that we have to beat City."

Arteta may no longer work under Guardiola but says he is still able to seek his counsel.

"Yeah, he's a person that I have huge respect and admiration [for] and we talk about a lot of things," he added. 

"When I need advice or I want him to support me he's always there and willing to help me. For me it's great to have someone like him around."

Since leaving City for Arsenal, Arteta has sought to blood the youngsters within his squad.

Bukayo Saka has particularly flourished under Arteta, while big things are expected of academy prospect Folarin Balogun.

Both youngsters are out of contract in June 2021, with Saka linked to the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, while Southampton are said to be monitoring Balogun's situation.

But Arteta is confident of tying both players down to long-term contracts.

"I am not worried because I know that the club is doing their best to try to keep them," he added. 

"Hopefully we can have some good news about them very soon. They know my opinion on them and how much I like working with them, the intention that I have in the future with them. 

"I see them really committed and hopefully we can find the right agreement for both parties and move on, because I think there's a great future ahead of us with these kids."

The Gunners took the lead in the first half when William Saliba headed in from Vieira's corner, only for their hosts to level in similar circumstances just past the half-hour mark at the Jose Alvalade.

Paulinho put Sporting in front after the break with a tap-in, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal seven minutes later ultimately secured Arsenal a draw to take back to Emirates Stadium for the return leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

The draw puts Arsenal – who have only lost at home twice all season – in a decent position ahead of the second leg, but Arteta feels they can do better, even considering the somewhat unfamiliar look to his starting XI.

"We are conceding too many simple goals," he told reporters.

"We spoke about the importance of boxes, especially in a competition where you're in or out. [On Thursday], we didn't defend that well enough, and we have to be better at threatening the opponents as well.

"But of course, you have an opponent there. We've played some really emotional games recently.

"We made a lot of changes and sometimes that takes time to get that cohesion, and you could feel it in the first 15 minutes that it needed some time to adapt and click.

"If we don't expose them, though, that's never going to happen."

He added: "When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe, it's very difficult to get a positive result.

"The game had different phases because we gave too many simple balls away in our own half and gave them the capacity to [exploit] transition moments, which they are good at.

"In other moments we had total control of the game and we lost a little bit of threat, especially with the four players we are missing in our frontline.

"There were some positives because we showed a lot of resilience to get back into the game, but we need to defend our box much better and be better on Sunday."

Vieira's performance was a surely one of those positives.

The Portugal international was given only his 13th start of the season, but his delivery for Saliba's opener was his sixth assist already – only Bukayo Saka (nine) has more for the Gunners this term, and he has played almost 1,600 minutes more than Vieira.

Arteta clearly values the former Porto midfielder.

"I'm really happy with him," he added. "I think he deserves more minutes than he's had, especially in the last two months.

"Obviously he had a difficult start because he was injured for two months after a surgery, and wasn't at the level that we want.

"You saw tonight he was probably our most dangerous player. He was always making things happen. He's a player that I absolutely love."

Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus and the Arsenal squad are expected to self-isolate, the Gunners have confirmed.

David Luiz has signed a new one-year contract with Arsenal, who have extended Dani Ceballos' loan and agreed permanent deals with Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares.

The club said in a statement released on Thursday that its London Colney training centre has been closed as a result of the diagnosis.

Arsenal confirmed staff and players who had "recent close contact" with Arteta would go into self-isolation, which includes the entirety of the first team.

"Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines," a statement from the Gunners read.

"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 said: "This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I'm allowed."

Arsenal's announcement came shortly after the Premier League confirmed this weekend's fixtures including the Gunners' trip to Brighton and Hove Albion will go ahead as planned.

But following Arteta's positive test it seems likely Arsenal's schedule will face further disruption after Wednesday's game against Manchester City was called off.

That match was suspended after news broke that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis had contracted coronavirus.

Olympiacos knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League earlier this month and Marinakis was in attendance for the second leg at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal indicated they expect further fixture postponements amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is clear we will not be able to play some fixtures on their currently scheduled dates," the club said.

The Premier League announcement that games would continue came after British prime minister Boris Johnson indicated the government was considering postponing sporting events.

However, in response to the news that Arteta had contracted COVID-19, the Premier League said an emergency club meeting will be held on Friday.

Arsenal's 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."

The club's 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."

The London club confirmed on Thursday that Arteta had contracted the virus, forcing them to close their London Colney training base.

Premier League chiefs held an emergency meeting on Friday in the wake of the news and decided to suspend all games until April 3 at the earliest.

Arteta took to Twitter on Friday to provide a positive update on his condition and called for unity to tackle the "unprecedented" COVID-19 pandemic.

"Thanks for your words and support," he said. "Feeling better already. We're all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge. Everyone's health is all that matters right now.

"Protect each other by following the guidelines & we'll come through this together. Well done PL for making the right decisions."

All games in Serie A, Bundesliga, LaLiga and Ligue 1 have also been called off as the spread of coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the sporting calendar.

The Gunners were forced to close their London Colney and Hale End bases for deep cleaning last week after confirming Arteta had contracted COVID-19.

However, the Spaniard is on the mend and is in regular contact with his playing squad and staff members, a number of who are continuing to self-isolate.

The Premier League announced on Thursday that the competition will not resume until April 30 at the earliest, but Arsenal are now gearing up for the resumption of training.

Providing an update on their official website, Arsenal said: "You can imagine that as this fast-moving situation has developed, we have been taking extensive steps to ensure we keep operating efficiently while protecting our players and staff. 

"Our training centres in London Colney and Hale End were closed for deep cleaning after Mikel's diagnosis with the virus but have now re-opened with a small workforce to maintain the facilities and training pitches.   
 
"A number of staff, including Mikel and the men's first-team squad, are currently isolating at home. We're pleased to say that Mikel is feeling much better. He's in good spirits, doing detailed planning with the coaches and speaking to the players regularly.

"The women's and academy teams are also currently staying at home. All our players are looking forward to getting back out on the training pitches as soon as the situation allows. 
 
"The players have been given specific training and dietary regimes to follow at home and are in daily contact with our coaches and support staff. As you will have seen from social media some of them are certainly embracing this changed new world."

It was originally decided the professional game in England would be suspended until April 3, with that date now extended until at least the end of next month.

Arsenal have given their full backing for that decision, adding: "You will have seen Thursday's announcement that the 2019-20 season will be extended indefinitely, and that the professional game is further postponed in England until at least April 30, 2020.

"We are fully supportive of this decision which was endorsed at Thursday morning's Premier League shareholder meeting. Of course, we all want to be back playing football as soon as we possibly can, but only when it is safe to be doing so."

Arteta is "completely fine" after battling COVID-19, which has killed more than 24,000 people around the world and brought sport to a standstill.

The 38-year-old, who tested positive on March 12, said he was concerned about infecting those around him, including his players.

"I am feeling completely recovered [now], it's true I started having some symptoms when we got the phone call from the club to let us know that we might be exposed to the virus because of the owner of Olympiacos and in that moment… I don't know, I felt something within me, that I had it," Arteta told Arsenal Player.

"We had a game the following day against Manchester City, so I made a decision and called the doctor straight away and I asked him to drive home.

"I spoke with Raul [Sanllehi], Edu, Vinai [Venkatesham], Huss [Fahmy] and we set up a meeting together and I said, 'Listen, we have a couple of players that have been exposed. There is a massive risk there and as well I am the first one feeling the symptoms, very clear symptoms. So if that is the case, all of the players and the people related to the club who are in contact with me on a daily basis are exposed. So we cannot make that decision, we have to speak to the Premier League, to Manchester City and we have to make the decision pretty quickly.'

"Then you realise, 'Wow, everybody can be exposed here, this is very serious' and you start to think about the people that you've been in contact with and the other people that can be related to us. That's when a bit of fear comes."

Arteta said there was nothing unusual about how he felt while dealing with coronavirus.

"In terms of symptoms, it was a normal virus for me. I had three or four days which were a little bit difficult, with a bit of a temperature and a dry cough, and some discomfort in my chest. That was it," he said.

"The difficulty is that I have people at home, three kids as well and I was worried. My missus has been through it and my nanny's been through it. Thank God, the kids never got it. We are all completely fine now."

With the Premier League suspended due to coronavirus, Arsenal are ninth in the table, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Arsenal announced on Thursday that Arteta had the virus shortly after the Premier League had confirmed all weekend fixtures were set to go ahead as planned.

After the Arteta news broke, the Premier League then said an emergency club meeting would be held on Friday, with a suspension of matches expected as a result.

However, Brighton have already moved to confirm Saturday's home game against the Gunners will not be going ahead as Arsenal's first-team squad are going into self-isolation.

Chief executive Paul Barber said: "First and foremost our thoughts are with Mikel Arteta and we wish him a speedy recovery.

"It's absolutely essential the health and wellbeing of individuals takes priority and with that in mind Saturday’s match has been postponed.

"We apologise to all fans for any inconvenience but trust everyone will understand that we are all facing an unprecedented situation.

"The Premier League has announced this evening that they will convene an emergency meeting of all clubs tomorrow morning [Friday], and we will update supporters on future fixtures as and when we are in a position to do so."

Arteta is the highest-profile football figure to be diagnosed with the virus. Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has also tested positive for coronavirus.

Brendan Rodgers said three Leicester City players are in self-isolation after showing symptoms and Manchester City have confirmed a first-team player is self-isolating due to a family member having fallen ill. City's game against Arsenal on Wednesday was postponed amid the crisis.

Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League last month by Olympiacos, whose owner Evangelos Marinakis later tested positive for the virus after attending the game at Emirates Stadium.

Top-flight fixtures in Italy and Spain have already been suspended while FIFA has announced this month's South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup have been postponed.

The Germany international has just over a year remaining on his Gunners contract and has been back in favour since Mikel Arteta took over from Unai Emery.

At an uncertain time, Mustafi’s focus is on returning to the pitch before "questions" on his career are answered.

"We are in a situation where everyone is worried about the current situation and not so much about their personal future," Mustafi, 27, said to Sky Germany.

"First of all, I would like to play football again. That's how we all feel, we want to get back onto the pitch. There are so many question marks at the moment.

"Euro 2020 has been postponed. There are so many discussions whether we can even finish the season or not.

"So it is difficult to think about my personal future. None of us know what will happen next and when we can play again.

"So once we have overcome this difficult time and are back on the pitch, I can think about questions like that.

"At the moment I don't think about it. Also, the club has more important stuff to deal with right now than my future."

Mustafi had previously spoken positively about Arteta and praised the Arsenal boss' charisma as he began to get more regular appearances alongside David Luiz at the back.

"I can imagine continuing to play for him," he said of Arteta, who has recently recovered from COVID-19. 

"But we still don't know about the future and there are still many question marks."

Sporting events and competitions across the globe have been either postponed or cancelled altogether as governments and organisations attempt to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Thursday the British government would not yet be cancelling large-scale public events, though that is subject to change.

Following this announcement, the Premier League – now the only major European league not to either postpone entire rounds of fixtures or play matches behind closed doors – confirmed this weekend's round of fixtures would go ahead.

The Merseyside derby is among the latest round of games, with Liverpool just two wins away from clinching a first league title since 1990.

"Following the latest update from government issued this afternoon, all Premier League matches will go ahead as scheduled this weekend," a statement on the league's official website read.

"While the prime minister advised that all sporting events should take place as normal for now, he also indicated that government is considering banning major public events, like sporting fixtures.

"We are therefore continuing to work closely with our clubs, government, The FA, EFL and other relevant stakeholders to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place as and when circumstances change. 

"The welfare of players, staff and supporters is of paramount importance and we will continue to follow Public Health England guidelines thoroughly."

Shortly after the statement was released, Arsenal confirmed head coach Mikel Arteta had tested positive for coronavirus.

Arsenal's London Colney training centre was closed, with Arteta the first confirmed case in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Manchester City player – reported to be Benjamin Mendy – is self-isolating after a member of their family fell ill and was tested.

Brendan Rodgers earlier confirmed three Leicester City players had also self-isolated after showing coronavirus symptoms.

The English Football League has also confirmed matches will continue to take place until it is advised otherwise.

The Premier League, along with the majority of sporting tournaments and events across the globe, is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many nations are in total or near-total lockdown, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential trips and exercise.

Though there is no sport to keep people entertained, some of the biggest names – both players and managers – from the Premier League came together on Saturday at 1500 GMT to spread the message: "stay at home, save lives."

Using his official Twitter and Instagram accounts, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling shared a video.

"We need to stay at home, let's help our NHS by staying home, only leave if you need food, medicine or exercise," Sterling said. "The NHS have been doing a fantastic job so let's help them continue doing their wonderful work."

He was also joined by his City team-mates Aymeric Laporteand Benjamin Mendy, as well as the club's ladies captain Steph Houghton.

Across the city, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaeralso offered his support to the campaign.

"Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives," the Norwegian said in a video posted to United's Twitter feed.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on March 12 and, having now recovered, he also shared the message.

"I encourage everybody, please be responsible and stay at home as much as possible," the Spaniard said.

Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard said: "To help save lives, you must stay home. Only leave home to buy essential food, medicine or for individual exercise and always stay two metres apart. This is an urgent message. Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives."

Premier League leaders Liverpool shared a graphic which read: "Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives."

Tottenham striker and England captain Harry Kane did not share a video, but wrote in a post on Twitter: "Saturday 3pm normally means football. But at the moment it's far more important everyone stays home. Do your bit. Protect the NHS, save lives."

Arteta has been praised since taking the helm in December last year, having lost just two of 15 games in charge.

Former Arsenal captain Vieira, who was also linked to the job, hailed Arteta for his work so far at Emirates Stadium.

"When you're a Gunner, always a Gunner, so I'm watching them all the time, I watch their games," the Nice head coach told Ian Wright in an interview for Adidas.

"What is really interesting with Arteta is that he brings the energy back and it looks like they are playing for the club, but for the manager as well, and I think that is really important."

Vieira has been at the helm of Nice since 2018, and was linked with a return to Arsenal after Unai Emery was sacked last year.

The Frenchman said he wanted to manage a big club, but he is happy at Nice.

"I really don't know what the future will be, but doing this job it was like being a player," Vieira said.

"I wanted to play at a high level, I wanted to play for the national team, I wanted to go to the World Cup, I wanted to play with the best players and there is no doubt as a coach I have the same kind of ambition.

"I would want to manage a team that will have a chance to win the Champions League, to play the Champions League competition.

"But at the moment, honestly, right here at Nice I am in the perfect place, perfect place because I can fulfil my ambitions, the club is really ambitious and the club give me the tools to grow as a manager, but to be a part of a winning team and to play good competitions as well.

"The team is growing up really fast, really quick and hopefully I can get my ambitions with OGC Nice."

Pepe, who joined Arsenal from Lille in 2019, completed a permanent switch to Turkish side Trabzonspor last year, leaving the Emirates on a free transfer. 

The Ivorian's arrival in North London came with great expectations, having become the club's most expensive signing, surpassing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's £56m move from Borussia Dortmund.

That has since been eclipsed by Declan Rice's £100m move from West Ham last year, but the England midfielder flourished in his first season with the Gunners.

Pepe made 112 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 27 goals and adding 21 assists during his four-year stay in the Premier League. 

"It wasn't easy at all. And the fans weren't happy with how I was performing," Pepe told BBC Sport about his struggles.

"When I first joined, the fans weren't really judging my performances, they were judging the price tag. But I think I did some great things while at Arsenal.

"I don't regret my time there. But my transfer fee to the club was the highest one they'd signed, so they expected me to score in each match."

The Premier League has seen an influx of inflated fees in recent years, with an estimated £1.5billion spent on player transfers during the 2023-24 season. 

Pepe was keen to stress the fees paid by Premier League clubs are nothing to do with the players.

"If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it'd be different," he said. "It's not the player's fault.

"They don't ask for £100m or £90m. But that's how it is in the football world and it's something that people can't understand.

"There are also players like [Mykhailo] Mudryk and Antony who don't perform at their best all the time, and yet they're not bad players."

Mikel Arteta's side are currently in the United States for pre-season as they aim to halt Manchester City's reign as Premier League champions next season. 

Arsenal finished second behind City last term, accumulating 89 points, their highest total since their last triumph in the competition during the 2003-04 campaign.