Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wades into the vaccination row as he warns unstitched stars he would THINK TWICE before signing them… as he insists managers MUST include vaccination status in future transfer deals
- Thomas Tuchel takes a player’s vaccination status into account before signing them
- Chelsea boss says managers must consider status ahead of deals
- A number of Premier League clubs have had to leave unjabbed stars behind
- Pre-season travel to the US has wreaked havoc as vaccinations are required for entry
Chelsea Boss Thomas Tuchel says he will think twice about signing unvaccinated players after N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek missed the club’s pre-season trip to America thanks to their Covid jab status.
The midfielders stayed home while the manager and the rest of his squad jetted across the Atlantic. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated Coronavirus are not allowed to enter the United States.
Manchester City Couple John Stones and Phil Foden also did not travel to the US with their touring group as they failed to meet Covid entry requirements.
Other Premier League teams – in particular crystal palace – have experienced similar problems while sports mail reported Gareth Southgate could leave unvaccinated stars at home ahead of the World Cup.
Some agents say managers lose interest when they hear a player is unvaccinated, and Tuchel admitted he must carefully consider signing players without Jabbs in the future.
“Yes, it has to be,” said Tuchel when asked if Vax status was part of his thinking. “It’s a perfectly normal decision to get vaccinated.”
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that vaccination status will now play a role before signing a player
Chelsea had to drop N’Golo Kante from his pre-season tour because he’s not vaccinated
Both Kante and Loftus-Cheek played National League’s Boreham Wood in a friendly this week to maintain their fitness away from the main group, which is currently in Las Vegas.
The Premier League said back in late January that 80 per cent of top players in England are fully vaccinated, but has not provided an update since.
Therefore, the issue of player vaccination is a hot topic at the moment Sportsmail revealed on Friday as England boss Southgate reflects on the impact of unjabbed stars on his World Cup squad.
The same goes for Ruben Loftus-Cheek (right) when he took on Boreham Wood this week
Southgate is contemplating an awkward choice between leaving some vaccinate refusers out of his squad altogether, like Chelsea and Crystal Palace did on their pre-season tours, or going into England’s opener with reduced numbers.
The problem of refusal to vaccinate is also affecting other World Cup sides such as France, with Kante being one of several international stars yet to be vaccinated, but England’s problem is more acute as they received an opening-day game.
FIFA is understood to be committed to Qatar relaxing its Covid vaccine rules ahead of the tournament.
