A crucial week ahead for Premier League
The Premier League has entered a pivotal week in its bid for a summer restart after clubs reiterated their desire to complete the season.
Further talks are planned in the coming days as top-flight clubs try to agree on a plan which they hope would then receive government approval.
Representatives from Wolves and Villa were yesterday part of a four-hour teleconference call in which clubs discussed various aspects of Project Restart, including playing the remaining 92 matches at neutral venues and the health checks which would be required.
Another meeting has been scheduled for next week, when the government is also due to announce whether the current lockdown restrictions will remain in place.
In a statement, the Premier League said it was considering the ‘first tentative moves forward’ but ‘will only return to training and playing with government guidance, under expert medical advice and after consultation with players and managers’.
Talks are planned with both the LMA and PFA in the coming days, with the suggestion players might only be permitted to train in masks and would need to be tested twice a week for coronavirus should the season resume.
For now, the day-to-day situation at the Midlands’ Premier League clubs remains unchanged.
Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground remains closed with a number of players thought to be wary of returning, even for individual sessions, while the country remains in lockdown.
Wolves, who have kept Compton Park partially open for solo training, are continuing to monitor the situation, with boss Nuno Espirito Santo primed for a return to the UK should the season restart be given the go-ahead.
