Liverpool players ‘hate their new £50m training ground at Kirkby because it’s too WINDY… and Jurgen Klopp’s squad would rather return to the club’s famous Melwood site’ following move in November
- Liverpool’s first-team moved training base in November from Melwood to Kirkby
- But the players are reportedly struggling with the new base at ‘Windy Harbour’
- The £50m state-of-the-art complex also houses the club’s famed academy
- Melwood was home of the first-team for 70 years before last year’s relocation
Just four months after moving, Liverpool’s first-team squad are reportedly unhappy with their new £50m training ground at Kirkby because it’s too windy – and would prefer to return to their old site at Melwood.
In November, the first-team relocated to the new complex across the city at Kirkby, fitted with three full-size pitches, two gyms, a sports hall, a swimming pool and even beach volleyball courts.
But according to The Sun, the players hate the state-of-the-art base due to the area, known as ‘Windy Harbour’, making for treacherous conditions to train in over the winter months due to the gale force winds.
Liverpool players are reportedly unhappy with their new base at Kirkby because it’s too windy
Jurgen Klopp’s squad moved base in November but would now prefer to return to Melwood
The report details that Jurgen Klopp’s players miss their old stomping ground at Melwood, which hosted the first-team all the way back to the days of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.
The switch saw Liverpool depart their historic Melwood base, where the first-team had been based for 70 years, and move in where the current academy train.
As revealed by Sportsmail in November, the 9,200sqm AXA Training Centre boasts an array of stunning additions.
This includes a Hydroworx pool, an altitude training chamber and a fully stocked gym which is three times bigger than the previous one at Melwood.
The first-team squad departed their base at Melwood for pastures new at Kirkby in November
There are three Anfield sized pitches plus a goalkeeping area at the new £50m training base
Inside the building, Liverpool have built a huge changing room where the players can unwind, placing a large sofa in the middle so they can lounge about before and after training.
With the altitude chamber, players can train in 40 degree heat, 90 per cent humidity and low oxygen levels.
Klopp’s office, meanwhile, has a balcony that overlooks the training pitches allowing the German to keep a constant eye on the action whenever he wants, across all age groups.
Yet despite the exquisite facilities, the move has also coincided with a drop in the Reds’ form in comparison to the rest of 2020, when they were stationed at Melwood.
A Hydroworx Pool is pictured with an underwater treadmill and cameras all around
The first-team gym at Kirkby is three times the size of the one they left behind at Melwood
When they moved bases, the Reds were third in the Premier League – they are now sixth.
That being said, the Reds got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a crucial victory at Wolves on Monday night, courtesy of Diogo Jota’s first-half strike.
Klopp’s side are now five points off fourth-placed Chelsea with nine matches to go – they are also in Friday’s draw for the Champions League quarter-finals.
