It has been one of the persistent stories of the transfer window. A striker Liverpool are eager to sign immediately, and who reports indicate is keen to leave his current club as the deadline draws ever closer.
Only this time, it isn’t Alexander Isak. The player in question is Federico Chiesa, who many Liverpool fans had expected to have moved on to a new club before the new Premier League season kicked off.
Yet with fewer than 48 hours until Arne Slot’s men begin their title defence at home to Bournemouth on Friday night, Chiesa looks set to be in a familiar spot from much of last season – on the bench.
The Italian featured just 14 times for Liverpool last term, 10 of those as a substitute. On 17 occasions, he was an unused option.
And once again, Chiesa was left idle on the bench at Wembley on Sunday, the only senior outfield player not given minutes as the Reds lost on penalties to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
Slot’s choice not to call on Chiesa was even more puzzling given that, after new arrival Hugo Ekitike was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go, Liverpool were left without a central striker, handing the momentum to Palace.
Slot’s post-match comments only stirred speculation. “It wouldn’t be smart to play him for 90 minutes because… of course we have Federico but he wasn’t on the Asian tour either, so there aren’t many options to replace him with,” the manager said.
“So if he gets injured right now, that’s a big risk for the Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Arsenal matches.”
Granted, Chiesa had skipped the Asia tour with a minor issue. But he had played in the first two friendlies – scoring against Stoke City – and then clocked 33 minutes in the main pre-season game with Athletic Bilbao at Anfield last week.
In fact, if Chiesa lacked match sharpness, then a late appearance at Wembley – where he scored in the League Cup final loss to Newcastle in March – seemed an ideal chance.
Numerically, Slot’s concern is valid as Liverpool remain light in attack, having replaced Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Diogo Jota only with Ekitike. Chiesa is still needed.
Italian reports all summer have said Chiesa would like a return home – with Atalanta among the clubs keen – to gain regular football and boost his World Cup selection hopes should Italy qualify next year.
However, recent claims suggest Liverpool are unwilling to sell, fearing a lack of forward depth, even though Chiesa is sparingly used.
That stance could shift if the Reds revive their firm interest in Newcastle’s wantaway forward Isak.
