Last summer saw Liverpool return to some normality with their pre-season plans.
The COVID-19 pandemic had put a stop to the globetrotting of clubs ahead of new campaigns from 2020, with football played behind closed doors and the many issues related to travelling abroad making it almost impossible for clubs to get the benefit of why they truly head to different territories; the commercial boost.
Liverpool made the trip to the Far East ahead of this current campaign, taking in visits to Thailand and Singapore. The decision to head to that particular territory was born from a need to deliver for some commercial partners in the region who hadn’t had access to the Reds since the summer of 2017 when they visited Hong Kong. The 2018 and 2019 pre-season tours had both taken in the USA.
Last summer’s plans were also somewhat truncated due to the World Cup in Qatar taking place in November and December, meaning that the 2023/24 preparations, for the first time in four years, will truly be back to normal.
READ MORE: Liverpool could be denied Champions League spot by Man United even if they finish fourth
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp comments send urgent message ahead of Liverpool's last 12 games
As the ECHO revealed last week, Liverpool are unlikely to follow the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea out to the US this summer, although a final decision has yet to be made. It is expected, however, that the Reds will focus on Asia once more before a likely trip to the US in the summer of 2024.
There are a number of reasons for the preference in a trip to Asia ahead of next season that a return to the US for the first time since 2019.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who places significant emphasis on the need for a settled element of pre-season away from the spotlight, wants a full pre-season to prepare his squad for what will be a major test in 2023/24 and one where there will likely be a number of new faces with significant change on the horizon in terms of playing personnel.
The Reds, in recent seasons, have favoured a stint in Europe, taking up residence at a training camp in Evian, France, along the banks of Lake Geneva last summer. This summer there have been rumours of a potential camp in Germany.
Trips to Asia, while the flights may be longer, often come with less moving around for the players in terms of their squad bases. For Klopp that is something key, with a trip to the US more demanding logistically with more moving around, meaning less contact time with the players.
In 2019 the US trip was more focused, with trips to South Bend, Boston and New York. For Liverpool’s next stint stateside there is understood to be a desire to widen their scope, potentially with a visit to the West Coast city of Los Angeles. Such a trip would be more demanding on time and something that would not be ideal for Klopp and his plans, given his desire to make the most of the return to normality for the pre-season schedule this season.
Commercially, too, moving it further down the road might not be a bad decision.
Liverpool are wanting to continue to push their brand awareness in the Far East further, maximising the opportunity to get back out in front of fans and satisfy the commercial obligations that they have to some of their partners, with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered’s strong links to the region not insignificant. When the Reds were in Asia last summer they inked the extension of their sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered.
There is also the timing aspect of pre-season planning with the World Cup in the USA in 2026 in mind.
Liverpool will want to make the most of their partnership with basketball legend and Fenway Sports Group partner LeBron James when they head to the US, with the club’s kit supplier Nike likely to play a significant role. There is also the possibility of the link up between FSG, James and SpringHill Entertainment, the ‘culture and media’ company that James owns with Maverick Carter and that FSG have a stake in, being utilised in a US trip for the Reds through digital storytelling.
Commercially there are a number of sponsorship activations that have occurred that will be seeking to get brand recognition from a trip to the USA by Liverpool. Companies such as Wasabi and Expedia will be keen to get the most from their partnerships with the club the next time they come stateside.
Liverpool did back-to-back US trips in 2018 and 2019, and in 2024 and 2025 that could be an option, particularly given that they will want to tap into the fervour that will surround the World Cup arriving on American soil in 2026.
The US is a growing market for football and in tapping into that increased audience at the right time, and with any pre-season plans for 2026/27 likely disrupted by the plans for the World Cup itself, the opportunities that exist for heading to the US in 2024 and 2025 may be more beneficial for the Reds as they seek to make themselves the most popular team in North America.
While no final decision has yet been made, Klopp’s desire for as much contact time with his players as possible and making the most of a normal schedule for the first time since the summer of 2019, which set the tone for one of the greatest season’s in Liverpool’s modern history, will likely make the decision for the club and allow them to formulate a plan to maximise what the interest in the build up to the World Cup will bring.
READ NEXT:
- 'You need to watch this kid' - Liverpool dressing room was wowed by three 'special' academy talents
- 'I pray' - Pep Guardiola makes admission before Man City take on Liverpool
- UEFA have just handed Liverpool and FSG a major challenge after Paris-Saint Germain decision
- I'm sure Trent Alexander-Arnold will improve - but he and Jurgen Klopp have work to do
- Liverpool set for late drama as supercomputer predicts final Premier League standings
