Federico Chiesa arrived at Liverpool from Italian giants Juventus and put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the club.
The Italy international has not been able to cement his place in the starting eleven due to poor form, injuries, and fierce competition in the attack.
Currently, he has returned to the team after recovering from an injury, but manager Andoni Iraola has already excluded him from the Liverpool squad for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
Federico Chiesa primarily plays as a right-winger, but he could also be deployed as a left-winger and, at times, as a centre-forward to add more versatility and pace to the attack.
When Chiesa broke into the scene, he was hailed for his pace, toughness, work rate in attack and defence, and his vision to find a teammate, while also scoring crucial goals for club and country.
However, an ACL injury, while he was playing at Juventus, became a major setback in his football career, and since that injury, he has been unable to consistently stay fit and get back to his level best.
Federico Chiesa’s contract at Liverpool will expire in June 2028, and his future at the club looks uncertain, as he has fallen down the pecking order under boss Andoni Iraola.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool are willing to move on from Chiesa and will be open to his departure in the upcoming winter transfer window.
It is believed that he wants to stay at Anfield, and he his convinced that he can impress manager Andoni Iraola and secure regular playing time at Liverpool, though it has been suggested that no negotiations have taken place regarding a new contract.
In Serie A, clubs like Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, and Lazio have shown interest in bringing the Italy international back to his homeland and providing him the opportunity to possibly play regularly.
Currently, at Liverpool, Bradley Barcola is the first-choice right-winger, while Vitor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha are the preferred options to come off the bench ahead of Chiesa.
Andoni Iraola primarily uses a rigid formation, in which he prefers to deploy inverted wingers, who can cut inside and score goals or create opportunities for the front line.
Besides that, in his system, the team needs to perform with a high-intensity, aggressive hybrid press and maintain a fluid transition between zonal stricture and man-to-man marking depending on the flow of the game.
Federico Chiesa’s current market value is around £11M, and given his injury record, poor form, and inability to get into the Liverpool starting line, he could be sold on a cut-price deal.
In the event that Chiesa leaves Anfield in January, boss Andoni Iraola will want to bring in reinforcements to add more depth in the attack, given the pressure to do well in the Premier League as well as the Champions League.
It remains to be seen which clubs will make an official bid to sign Federico Chiesa, and whether the Italy international will leave on a loan deal or on a permanent basis.