Liverpool’s hopes of retaining their Premier League title next season have been given a major boost by the news that the next AFCON (African Cup of Nations) has been put back by a year until January 2022.
And that, in turn, may save them millions in transfer fees this summer, because there is no need to buy replacement for star players.
Jurgen Klopp was among several European managers unhappy when the next AFCON scheduled to take place in Cameroon, was pushed back from the summer to its traditional January slot. That meant he faced losing Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mané, and Naby Keita for up to six weeks during the busiest part of the season, but now AFCON organisers have decided, on safety grounds, to defer it by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Anfield side can now either save the money they would have had to spend or use it to strengthen other parts of the team.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.