Ibrahima Konate will not feature in the upcoming summer Olympics for France, as reported in a tweet by David Lynch.
Retweeting the French national side’s squad list for the competition in question, the 22-year-old was revealed to have been omitted, which will hand Jurgen Klopp the entirety of pre-season to work with his first signing of the summer window.
Now confirmed that #LFC defender Ibrahima Konate has been omitted from the France squad for this summer's Olympics. Will get a full pre-season to help settle in at his new club.https://t.co/xk3RZmRr1t
— David Lynch (@dmlynch) June 25, 2021
With the European Championship and Copa America set to delay the return of a number of key stars, having an opportunity to help the former RB Leipzig man adjust to a new setting, squad and tactics will be invaluable.
Taking into account the impact of a jam-packed fixture schedule the prior year, the importance of a proper pre-season with as few interruptions as possible cannot be overstated.
It’s no wonder why Liverpool continue to fight hard to keep Mo Salah in Merseyside during the Olympics, particularly given that we’ll be set to lose the Egyptian to the African Cup of Nations between January and February.
Certainly, if we are to have any hope of mounting a more successful title challenge next term, reducing the fixture demand – and thus the risk of burnout and injury – for our players will be key.
Konate was an absolute BARGAIN and Arsenal’s next transfer proves it