Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has taken a firm stance on what any prospective Liverpool targets will need in order to play in his team.
As per the Mirror, Klopp told reporters that unvaccinated players are a constant threat to his playing squad, and is not willing to risk the health of his team in order to sign someone who doesn’t adhere to his squad’s collective belief.
Asked whether the vaccination status of a transfer target would influence a player signing for Liverpool, he said: “We are not close to signing a player but, yes, it would be influential, definitely.
“If a player is not vaccinated at all, he is a constant threat for all of us.
“He doesn’t want to be a threat, of course, it is not that he thinks, ‘Oh my God, I don’t care about the others,’ but he is and we have to find different scenarios.”
Klopp then explained the logistical challenges of a player not being vaccinated in terms of them mixing and travelling with the rest of the squad. He explained how an unvaccinated player would need to do all indoor activities or travel arrangements separate from the rest of the squad.
He then delved even deeper by looking at the isolation protocols when a player returns from overseas, which is a very realistic problem considering Liverpool’s European exploits this season.
While it will be disappointing for some Liverpool fans that the club are now confirmed to not be close to signing, at least for now, it will also be a relief that Klopp is willing to take such stringent measures in order to safeguard the wellbeing of his squad.
The Mirror’s report also references an earlier interview with the popular German where he also confirmed that everyone at Liverpool’s training ground including the players were double vaccinated.