There are now serious doubts over whether the Italy international will be fit to play a meaningful role in the 2024-25 campaign
Just before the plane carrying Federico Chiesa to Liverpool touched down on Merseyside, he looked out the window and saw Anfield. The Italian promptly turned to his wife and said: "Put the song on – – because I want to imagine myself playing there and hearing the chant of the fans!"
Chiesa got to experience that very sensation just a few weeks later when he came on as a late substitute in the Premier League win over Bournemouth on September 21. Four days later, he started in front of the Kop for the first time, in the League Cup rout of West Ham, and the fans liked what they saw of an industrious but skilful winger, who was given a great ovation when he was withdrawn after an hour of play. Chiesa clearly wasn't in peak physical condition but he unquestionably looked like an exciting addition to an already stellar forward line, a potential understudy for Mohamed Salah.
The problem is, though, that Chiesa hasn't been seen since. And not because he's been unable to force his way into Arne Slot's squad. He just hasn't been fit to feature, which has sparked speculation that the summer signing from Juventus could be allowed to leave Liverpool on loan less than six months after arriving…
Getty ImagesThe road to recovery
Chiesa's recent fitness issues were hardly a secret. He discussed them openly, admitting that the ACL injury he suffered in January 2022 "slowed down" his career – because even after his return to action seven months later, his body struggled to get back up to speed. Minor muscular problems and even just basic fatigue were recurring problems.
However, Chiesa began to look like his old explosive and effective self last season. He played 37 times in all competitions for Juve in 2023-24- the most games he'd managed since the campaign leading up to Euro 2020, which ended Italy triumphing at Wembley and Chiesa being named in the team of the tournament after a string of decisive and dynamic displays in the knockout rounds.
Consequently, Chiesa was entitled to claim that he was "close to the level I was at before the injury" after turning in a man-of-the-match display over Albania at last summer's European Championship in Germany.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesA risk worth taking?
So, why were Juve willing to let him leave? Money, essentially. The Bianconeri offered Chiesa a contract extension but on pretty much the same terms as his existing deal – which is not something that the player and his agent were willing to accept.
Consequently, Juve decided to try to sell the Italy international to the highest bidder, so as to avoid losing him for nothing when his deal expired in the summer of 2026.
Inter, AC Milan and Roma were also said to be interested but there were no concrete offers. The assumption was that the financial risk was too great for clubs that have recently embraced a far more prudent approach to the transfer market.
They clearly didn't feel it was worth investing a significant sum of money in transfer fees and wages – at least by Serie A standards – in a player with a concerning injury record.
Liverpool did, though.
Getty'A player that can help the team'
As far as Liverpool were concerned, Chiesa represented a low-risk acquisition, the kind of "opportunistic" signing that Richard Hughes had discussed shortly after taking over as the club's new sporting director during the summer. After all, it's rare that a European Championship winner of such undisputed talent becomes available for just £10 million ($12.6m) – the same money the Reds paid for Fabio Borini in 2012.
There were, of course, mitigating circumstances and there was also a valid argument to be made that Liverpool didn't really need another wide player. A left-sided centre-back and a defensive midfielder were considered the club's transfer market priorities.
Still, Slot seemed satisfied. "I have said all summer that it is not easy to sign players for Liverpool because the standard of players we have is so high but in Federico I firmly believe we are signing someone who enhances what is already here," the Dutchman told the club's official website.
"It’s not just his talents physically; Federico has experience of winning trophies, of course one with his national team, and dealing with setbacks and challenges. It’s the mentality we want here at Liverpool. Not only this, but he is someone who has an incredible work-rate to match his talent.
"He is a player who can make an impact and can help the team, so this is credit to Richard Hughes and everyone involved in bringing him to Liverpool."
And, in their eyes, this was a calculated gamble with the potential to pay off handsomely. Right now, though, the fear is that it's going to backfire badly.
Getty Images Sport'I feel sorry for him'
As we approach the end of November, Chiesa's condition has already become something of a conundrum for Liverpool, described by Slot as simultaneously "simple" and "difficult".
The bottom line is that he has managed just three appearances for Liverpool, during which he's managed a paltry 78 minutes of game time and such numbers have provoked a little panic among the supporters.
However, Slot has tried to allay their fears by pointing out "many times" that Chiesa has not been helped by the fact that he was frozen out by Juventus coach Thiago Motta before leaving Turin, meaning he arrived at Anfield without a proper pre-season under his belt.
The Reds boss has also argued that the 27-year-old's attempts to return to full fitness have also been hindered by "going to a league where the intensity might even be higher than the Italian league". Slot admitted: "We just faced the two Italian teams (AC Milan and Bologna in the Champions League), so I can say this now.
"Anyway, all of this makes it difficult for him to make the step towards the intensity levels the rest of the team is at right now and it's a big disappointment for him that he is going in and out of the training sessions all the time. I feel sorry for him."
