Mounting player concerns could hand Klopp unlikely triple Liverpool boost
Growing concerns from the Brazilian playing personnel could give Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool an unexpected triple boost ahead of the new season.
This summer will see the Euro 2020 tournament take place after it’s 12-month delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The European competition isn’t the only major international tournament due to be held, however. The Copa America is also set to kick off later this month, though the latest reports paint a bleak picture for the tournament’s prospects.
The competition was initially supposed to be staged jointly by Argentina and Colombia.
However, the region is in the midst of a desperate struggle to contain Covid-19. As such, the decision was made to shift the hosting duties to Brazil.
Brazil is faring little better in their efforts to control the virus. That has now led to growing concerns from the country’s stars who play their football abroad.
According to the Daily Mail, those Brazil stars are reportedly ‘refusing to take part in the Copa America’.
The players are unhappy with the late switch, with captain Casemiro already taking a stand by refusing to attent a scheduled press conference.
Manager Tite explained his players’ thinking, saying: “They have an opinion, they exposed it to the president and they will expose it to the public at the appropriate time.
“That is why our captain Casemiro is absent today.”
Brazil’s latest 25-man squad are currently back in South America preparing to play a pair of World Cup qualifiers prior to the Copa America. Of that contingent, nine ply their trade in the Premier League.
Liverpool hold the most with three, including a major part of the spine of their team – Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.
Should those players refuse to play, they would likely link up with Jurgen Klopp’s side for standard pre-season preparations much earlier than expected.
Klopp has been vocal about the demands on modern-day footballers. A rare break in the calendar would provide him with the most unexpected of boosts.
It could also accelerate the club’s plans to offer Alisson and Fabinho new contracts. Recent reports had suggested those plans would not be acted upon until after the Copa America concluded.
Man Utd flop deemed perfect Wijnaldum replacement
Meanwhile, a legendary figure at the former club of Man Utd star Donny Van de Beek has claimed he would be a seamless fit at rivals Liverpool.
One pundit declared which club the Dutchman should’ve signed for instead amid speculation of unhappiness at Old Trafford.
In Similar vein, Ajax legend Sjaak Swart has claimed his countryman would’ve been better off elsewhere too. However, the eye-catching part comes when Swart insists he would be the perfect replacement for the outgoing Georginio Wijnaldum.
“He played really great at Ajax, until he left,” said Swart (via SportWitness). “He was ready for abroad. But at United they have 8 or 9 midfielders, and you have to intervene, then it takes time.
“That is a choice [about his future] he has to make himself, whether he feels like he needs to leave. I am not worried about him.”
“He would fit right in with other clubs. If I look at Liverpool and Wijnaldum is leaving now, he will be a wonderful replacement. Or for Thomas Müller, at Bayern Munich.”
READ MORE: Transfer expert claims Liverpool are ‘leading race’ for Brazilian winger
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