ARSENAL will not play again in the Premier League until at least May after the season's suspension was extended due to coronavirus – but it could be longer.

Mikel Arteta has spoken out about having the virus while Bacary Sagna wasn't happy with something Cesc Fabregas said.

Elsewhere, we have all the latest transfer talk on the likes of Nabil Fekir, Ousmane Dembele and Dayot Upamecano.

Get all the latest Arsenal news and gossip here…

• NOT SO FAB

  Paul Merson has admitted that he understands why Cesc Fabregas left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011.

  He told Sky Sports: “Fabregas is an interesting case because he did leave Barcelona as a youngster to go to Arsenal, but he couldn't turn it down when they came calling again.

  “I can't think of too many players that could turn it down. You may get a player to wait around another year, but they always end up going in the end, and I had no problem with Fabregas going when he did.

  “He was a great servant for Arsenal, and I can understand where he was coming from when he spoke about the pressure on winning trophies and the club's lack of recruitment.

  “He'd given his all for the club and the reality is that he could probably see Arsenal were a team in decline, and as I said, I don't know too many professional footballers who could turn down Barcelona.”

• ALL HANDS ON DEC

  Arsenal legend Paul Merson has claimed that his old club need to sign Declan Rice more than Chelsea.

  He told Sky Sports: “Chelsea have been linked with him, but I don't know why Arsenal aren't looking at Declan Rice.

  “Arsenal are crying out for a holding midfield player. They don't need a midfielder who's going to be on the edge of the opposition box, they need a disciplined defensive midfielder, who is going to sit in front of the back four and organise the side; one who, when he gets the ball, gives it simple with 10-yard passes.

  “It's such a hard job and that's why I can't believe Arsenal aren't going in for a player like Rice.

  “A player like Rice can allow the attacking players to flourish and it gives the central defenders the chance to be better than what they are.

  Arsenal haven't really had a disciplined defensive midfielder since Gilberto Silva. Everyone talks about the club never really replacing Patrick Vieira, and of course, but they never replaced Gilberto either.”

• MONA-NO

  Jamie Carragher revealed Thierry Henry was visibly “embarrassed” after his spell in charge at Monaco ended in disaster.

  But just two months later, with four wins, five draws and 11 defeats from his 20 games in charge, he was sacked.

  Speaking to Sky Sports' Off Script podcast, Carragher said: “I could almost see the embarrassment on his face.

  “He didn't come back to Sky but he would pop into the studio now and again when we were doing Arsenal games.

  “You could almost feel he was a little bit embarrassed with how it went at Monaco.

  “He tried to tell you the reasons – whether they were reasons or excuses – that's what people have to do as managers. It just eats them up.”

• SURE BET

  Arsenal are eyeing a summer move for Real Betis creator Nabil Fekir if they fail to make Dani Ceballos’ loan from Real Madrid permanent, according to reports.

  The 26-year-old came within a whisker of joining Liverpool back in 2018, while at hometown club Lyon.

  But the transfer dramatically fell through at the last minute, owing to an issue with the Frenchman’s knee found in the medical.

  After another year in Ligue 1, Fekir did eventually depart, joining LaLiga side Real Betis last summer.

  And the 23-cap international has played well in Spain, scoring seven goals and assisting a further six for the Andalusians.

  According to the Daily Star, this form has put him on the Gunners’ radar, although there are a number of factors that could get in the way.

• RAM THE MAN

  Aaron Ramsey has donated £10,000 to the fight against coronavirus in his homeland of Wales.

  The Juventus star, 29, gave the money to the Cardiff and Vale Health charity via an online donation.

  Ramsey posted on the charity’s JustGiving page: “We really appreciate all of your hard work.”

  The charity, who launched an appeal to raise money for local NHS workers to spend on vulnerable members of the community, praised Wales ace Ramsey’s gesture.

  The Cardiff and Vale Health charity tweeted: “We’re absolutely blown away to announce a very generous donation from Wales & @juventusfc football star @aaronramsey to our spreadthelove campaign for our staff during covid19. A huge thank you to Aaron, you’re our star!”

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