Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s claim that Premier League players signed after postponed games were set to be played should not be eligible for rearranged fixtures.
Hasenhuttl’s suggestion comes after Southampton’s clash with Newcastle United scheduled for New Years Day was postponed due to a combination of injuries and Covid cases.
And the Magpies have already moved quickly to secure a January signing, securing the signature of England international Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid.
Newcastle are not expected to stop anytime soon, either, with a whole host of other players including Sven Botman and Diego Carlos linked with a move to the Northeast.
Eddie Howe’s squad for the rearranged clash could look very different for the one that was set to feature in the original game, which has prompted Hasenhuttl to make the complaint.
Via quotes from Hampshire Live, he said: “The last word has not been spoken on this yet.
“We discussed during the Premier League meeting what would happen with January signings during the postponed games. Would they be allowed to play or not? It is not for us to say.
"We could be the same. With our new owners, we could sign a few players and it would not really be fair to use them in games that have been postponed.
He added: "I was disappointed that the Newcastle game did not happen but we do not know their situation exactly, nobody does. It's clear that we were all disappointed."
Hasenhuttl’s comments, though, have received a mixed response from several people across the football world.
But pundit Carragher has been pretty clear in what he thinks of the suggestion. When asked for his thoughts on social media, he simply replied: "nonsense."
