Arteta speaks amid speculation winger will be dropped | OneFootball

There’s still no certainty on whether Willian will feature against Leeds this weekend, despite Mikel Arteta insisting the Dubai issue is resolved.

You may have heard the news over the international break that Willian was potentially in trouble with Arsenal for travelling to Dubai, reportedly for business reasons. The latest reports were that the club were investigating and testing Willian for Covid-19.

More than just the potential for infection, there’s also possibly a disciplinary issue here. So even if Willian tests negative, he may find himself out of the weekend’s squad anyway.

Mikel Arteta certainly isn’t suggesting that’s the case, telling the media the situation is resolved.

“Whatever happens internally with any issues or things that we don’t expect, as always we will try to resolve them internally,” Arteta said. “That’s been dealt with and explained, and we move on.

“The situation has been resolved, explained and dealt with in the team and the club. That’s all I can say.”

On the other hand, Arteta wouldn’t confirm to journalists attending his press conference whether Willian would be in the squad against Leeds.

That’s probably just because he’s trying to keep his cards close to his chest, but it’s also possible he’s planning to exclude the player. We won’t know until Sunday.

Regardless of the Dubai question, it would be nice to see Nicolas Pepe get a chance anyway. With five goal contributions since Willian last provided one, I’d argue Arteta needs him in the team more.