How N'Golo Kante could change Chelsea's transfer policy

Suraj Radia

19 Jul 2022 14:35 BST
3 min read

N'Golo Kante, Chelsea, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Thomas Tuchel has admitted he would think twice about signing an unvaccinated player after struggling with the issue during Chelsea’s pre-season trip to the United States.

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N’Golo Kante were unable to travel to the US due to their COVID vaccination status and Chelsea boss Tuchel said the situation was far from ideal.

Tuchel joked that he should have vaccinated Kante himself and, when asked whether vaccinations come into mind when signing a player, the German replied: “Yes, it has to.

“I knew some players who I’d also take without vaccination, I have to say. But yes, it is a part of daily life at the moment.

“We cannot force it. It is a very normal decision to get vaccinated. Both players took the decision not to. We need to follow the rules. They cannot join us. They know about the consequences.”

Vaccinations affecting Premier League clubs

Loftus-Cheek has been told he can leave Chelsea this summer however the 26-year-old has struggled to generate interest from other clubs, in part due to his vaccination status.

Kante, meanwhile, missed 16 games last season due to injury as well as testing positive for COVID twice and both players will remain at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham to do individual training.

However, while he insisted he would rather have Kante in his squad, Tuchel claimed the Frenchman could benefit from missing the pre-season trip due to his injury problems.

Good to see both Ngolo Kante & Ruben Loftus Cheek getting some match practice. pic.twitter.com/tdhjNuxMxe
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) July 16, 2022

The Premier League reported in December that 16% of Premier League players had yet to receive a single dose of the COVID vaccine, while only 77% were classified as ‘fully vaccinated’.

Ilkay Gundogan was excluded from Manchester City’s squad for their tour of America due to his vaccination status, while Phil Foden and John Stones also missed out due to US entry requirements.

Crystal Palace were also only able to take ten senior players on their pre-season trip to Singapore, such is the extent of their issue with players being unvaccinated.

However, restrictions on unvaccinated players have recently been lifted in Australia, where the Eagles travelled to face off against Manchester United and Leeds.