Security decision awaited on Arsenal’s Dubai training trip

Arsenal will assess security measures before giving the allclear to a midseason training camp in Dubai during the club’s two-week winter break, manager Mikel Arteta said.

Premier League sides have often used venues in the Middle East for warm weather training, but Manchester United have scrapped their plans to travel in February in the wake of the US air strike at Baghdad airport that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Arsenal had been set for a four-day camp ahead of their Premier League match against Newcastle United on February 16, but Arteta said security would dictate where the squad ended up going.

“The security decision will be the priority,” Arteta said.

“If we are advised by the club and the people making those decisions that it’s not safe we won’t be going anywhere. “We still have a few things to look after from a club perspective and when we know all that we will confirm what we are doing.

“At the moment, we have two or three different options.”

Arsenal’s midseason break could also be disrupted by a potential FA Cup replay.

Should Arsenal draw their FA Cup fourth round tie at Bournemouth on January 27, the replay is scheduled to take place the following midweek.

Arteta accused football authorities of disregarding player safety but said the club would accept the “bizarre scenario”.

“We know where the priorities are with the fixtures and the priority at the moment is not to protect the players and have everybody with the same condition,” the Spaniard said.

Arsenal, currently 10th on the league table, host Sheffield United on Saturday.

If we are advised by the club and the people making those decisions that it’s not safe we won’t be going anywhere