Dr Dan Plumley

Wed 22 December 2021 15:00, UK

Liverpool will likely consider a player’s vaccination status before making a move in the January window.

So says finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the pandemic’s nebulous impact on the Premier League.

Per the Daily Mail last Tuesday (14 December) that the top-flight is mulling over the legality of wages cuts for unvaccinated players forced to isolate.

Jurgen Klopp told The Independent last Saturday (18 December) that “from a moral point of view [the vaccine] should be mandatory.”

Plumley suggests that the Liverpool boss will have held talks with senior figures at the club about vaccination status and recruitment.

The Sheffield Hallam University expert also predicts that the PFA would launch a legal challenge if players are penalised for not having the jab.

“This an absolute minefield,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“Some of the clubs are saying the split between vaccinated and unvaccinated players is causing logistical issues and unrest in changing rooms.

“Recruitment wise, does that force a club’s hand in terms of letting players go and signing some others?

“It will be interesting to see what happens in January with that. You’d imagine Liverpool will definitely have had conversations about that ahead of that.

“In terms of docking wages, you look at the legal aspect of it and wonder whether it would be possible.

“If they do try and enforce it, you would expect a challenge from the PFA. They would be very vocal against this.

“They already rebelled against the salary cap in League One and Two last year and managed to get it overturned.”

Liverpool are one of a handful of Preimer League clubs to have had all their players vaccinated against Covid-19.

Captain Jordan Henderson told BBC Sport today (22 December) that “nobody really takes player welfare seriously” amid a surge in Covid cases.

In other news, Kevin Campbell fumes over Liverpool development “making a mockery” of the Premier League.