Mikel Arteta has raised an alarm over the bad effect that the continued absence of fans from the stadium will have on the finances of football clubs.
The Premier League and other leagues across Europe have been played behind closed doors since March when covid19 broke out.
Arteta was one of the high-profile figures who was infected with the virus first and the Premier League was suspended.
The competition resumed in June for the 2019/20 season to be completed, but without the fans.
The clubs had expected fans to return to the Stadiums from the start of next month, but that plan has been changed following a spike in the number of covid19 cases.
There are talks that fans might not be back in the stands for the rest of this season and Arteta believes that teams will start feeling the effect of that financially soon if the fans continue to stay away.
“The club is playing without the fans and financially the implications that has, how that can still be sustainable, (I think about) the things we have to achieve as a team to try to improve those finances as well,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think it’s crucial for every club that this doesn’t have too much of a delay because then the challenge ahead is brutal.”
