As Per Mertesacker missed Arsenal’s Champions League match against Olympiacos at the Emirates with a virus, following on from Thomas Vermaelen also coming down with a virus as well as Francis Coquelin, Arsene Wenger has been speaking about his concerns regarding the bug, saying

“We have improved the level of hygiene in the dressing room, we clean everything. It is funny, but shaking hands is one of the biggest things to spread virus.

“I shake hands with everybody, but we are advised not to do it when there is a high level of risk.

“At the moment it has passed and is not a high level. A few have it, but it is not [necessarily] the case that they got it here.”

Mertesacker is expected to be fit to face West Ham at Upton Park in the Barclay’s Premier League late kick off later today [Saturday]. Abou Diaby is still out with the injury he picked up against Chelsea, while goalkeeper Szczesny is expected to be out for another two to three weeks.