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Richard Keys slams Arsenal for putting Leeds squad at risk amid covid-19 news
Leeds United hosted Arsenal at Elland Road yesterday, and it was the only match that was not cancelled on the day due to covid-19, with five other games postponed.
However, Richard Keys was not pleased that the Gunners travelled to west Yorkshire to play the game despite shutting their training ground after Albert Sambi Lokonga and Pablo Mari tested positive.
Leeds lost 4-1 on Saturday (18 December), with Mikel Arteta’s side decimating their injury-ravaged squad, but Keys believed the visitors put Marcelo Bielsa’s men at risk by deciding to play the game.
The beIN SPORT man said (via the channel’s Twitter account): “The news tonight is that Arsenal have shut their training ground tonight. Lokonga is a covid victim.
“Arteta was very cagey prematch as to how many cases Arsenal have, but if I’m Leeds tonight, and I hear that news and they have travelled to play us, I’m not really impressed.
“I think that’s bothering on… For me… Almost reckless. It’s a risk. You fly to play us, we’ve got our own problems, and you’ve shut your training ground, you bring your squad North, I wouldn’t be impressed.”
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Lokonga was dropped from the Arsenal squad ahead of their trip, with Arteta revealing that they had to close their Colney training ground on Thursday after reporting a few cases among players and staff following their mid-week 2-0 victory over West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.
Other players apparently returned negative, but could playing the game put the Leeds squad at risk?
Bielsa had to name a lot of kids in his matchday squad as only eight of his first-teamers were available.
Arsenal left with all three points in the end, but could it come with consequences for those on the pitch?
The Whites play Liverpool on Boxing Day, and the last thing they need right now is some positive covid-19 cases.
While they really could do with a break right now in order to have their injured players recover, they would not want their unvaccinated players to catch the virus given its health complications even after recovery.
Hopefully, that does not happen.
In other Leeds United news, Whites chiefs recently jetted out of the UK for talks.