A potential return date for the Premier League has been reported by the national media this afternoon.
The Telegraph are claiming that clubs have today decided to restart the competition on Wednesday, June 17.
This would see the following fixtures fulfilled so that all teams will be on 29 games played by the weekend of Saturday, June 20:
- Aston Villa v Sheffield United
- Manchester City v Arsenal
That, therefore, suggests we could be looking at a Double Gameweek to get things back up and running, or it could be a short Blank Gameweek before the next one on the weekend of June 20.
Either way, we are still waiting on confirmation of the date in question from the Premier League.
There remains plenty still up in the air pertaining to fixtures and, by extension, Fantasy Premier League deadlines.
Recent reports in the media have suggested that each round of action could turn into marathon-esque weekends of football.
Reported plans suggested that Saturdays could see games at 12 noon, then 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.
There also appears to be support for midweek games to follow a similar trend, broadcasted in a Champions League style double-header with kick-offs at 6pm and 8pm.
Despite the positive progress being made towards a Premier League restart, we must remember that there will continue to be ongoing coronavirus testing.
Another batch of results was announced earlier this week, the third to be undertaken this month.
In this latest round, of 1,008 players and staff were tested, this time producing four positive results from three different clubs. These individuals will now self-isolate for seven days.
These regular tests are will be a regular fixture of the build-up to the Premier League’s return and could continue once matches are underway again.
So far, a total of 12 individuals have become confirmed coronavirus cases from 2,752 tests conducted in the Premier League.
Players and staff will continue to be tested twice a week with the capacity increased from 50 to 60 tests available per club for the fourth round of testing.
Earlier this week, Premier League clubs unanimously voted to resume contact training in groups between four and 12 players. This decision was reached after consultation with clubs, players, managers, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the League Managers’ Association (LMA) and the government.
The move to this form of training came after Premier League squads began non-contact sessions last week.
Meanwhile, Watford Troy Deeney (£6.2m) has been reportedly been convinced to return to Watford training, after missing the first week back to shield his young son, who has suffered from breathing complications, from coronavirus.
“I only said that I wasn’t going back for the first week. People took that as I’ll never go back. But everyone appreciates everything the Premier League is trying to do as well. I don’t think it’s a case of pure neglect in terms of ‘We’re going back to work, get on board’ or it’s anything like that. There have very good lines of communication and I’ve maybe had four or five meetings now. I’m the captain of a Premier League football team. I’m not doing my job if I’m sitting back at home, saying to the players: ‘You win this game for me and I’m not doing anything’. Anyone that knows me knows I’m never scared of a challenge. But anyone that knows me also knows that family is the most important thing for me. I also think ultimately, everyone knows that this is happening, the season is gonna finish and you control the controllables really. To be fair, if it weren’t for my missus, I probably wouldn’t. But she’s adamant that we can do enough things to protect ourselves. We are trying to figure out like, ways to wash the clothes separately and little things like that. You know, I’ve got quite a busy household. Also Watford have been excellent with me as well. They are trying their best to do anything to support me and my family. I haven’t been to work as yet. But I’m potentially going to go in next week. Even if it’s just to have a conversation. I’ve already been in dialogue with all the players and all the management.” – Troy Deeney
Nominated for ‘Best in Fantasy Football – Editorial’ at the Football Content Awards 2020
3 years, 10 months agoFingers crossed