Transfer market, Chiesa still wants to demonstrate that he belongs to Liverpool: Juve must take this into account

December 30th – 2pm – LONDON (ENGLAND)

How much is Federico Chiesa worth to Liverpool? A lot, a lot according to the Reds fans, who have been calling for his use as a starter in attack for months. The 28-year-old Italian who Juve is evaluating to try to bring him back to Turin has become one of Anfield’s idols in this first part of the season, with his commitment and his ability to lend a hand to the team, whether he played from the start and for an hour like on Saturday in Wolverhampton, or for small parts of the match, which did not go unnoticed. His commitment doesn’t change two things. The first is that Federico remains behind in the hierarchy of Reds attackers. The second is that at the moment Chiesa is indispensable for Liverpool well beyond the minutes of use, and will be at least until Mo Salah’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

a liverpool

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It took Chiesa a while to win over his new fans. He arrived in the summer of 2024 for 12 million euros plus bonuses, a super sale price for a player who English fans remembered as stellar from the 2020 European Championship in which his valuation even reached 100 million. His signing had been taken as a low-cost gamble: putting him back on his feet would have given the Reds a star, but the team’s fortunes did not depend on him. The second hypothesis is the one that dominated the first season: Chiesa became the first Italian after 12 years to win the Premier League, but his contribution was a total of 108 minutes spread across 6 appearances, enough to get the winner’s medal of the tournament but certainly not to leave his mark. It’s the fault of the lack of preparation, of injuries, of a few rare matches played badly (above all the terrible performance on 9 February in the FA Cup with Plymouth Argyle, the Championship team that eliminated the future champions of England) and above all of the fact that, on paper, Chiesa was Salah’s reserve, untouchable both for his legendary status and for the 29 goals and 18 assists with which the Egyptian produced the best individual season in the history of the Premier League. The difficulties of the first year did not take away Chiesa’s desire to demonstrate that he is from Liverpool, that he is worthy of the most difficult championship in the world: in the summer he worked alone and then with his teammates. Things have changed around him: it’s true that Liverpool have invested a lot in attack, but it’s also true that the positions are still the same and there is less competition than last season. And Chiesa took advantage of it: the goal against Bournemouth on the first matchday was the decisive one for the Reds’ 4-2, his sensational save off the line at the end of the match on 3 December against Sunderland, in which he was decisive despite coming on in the 85th minute, made him enter the hearts of the people at Anfield more than his goals. The comparisons with James Milner and the online petitions asking Slot to make him a starter are the best evidence of how much the people of Anfield appreciate all the effort that the blue is putting in.

in team

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For Slot, Chiesa remains a reserve. An indispensable reserve however, because now that Salah is in the Africa Cup of Nations, Alexander Isak will be out for months (there is no certainty that he will return before the end of the season) and Cody Gakpo is recovering after a month out due to injury, the Italian remains with Hugo Ekitiké the only healthy attacker available, in addition to the 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha who is not yet considered ready to lend a hand on a consistent basis. The blanket is also short when inserting into the equation Florian Wirtz, who Slot is rediscovering as a left winger, and Dominik Szoboszlai, injured with Wolverhampton but used by the coach both on the right wing of the attack and as number 10. Liverpool must always resolve the Salah issue: Mo left for the Africa Cup of Nations after apologizing to his teammates for the post-Leeds outburst at the end of November in which he made it clear that he could leave in January, but the the situation with the club and especially with Slot remains to be clarified. Although his representatives are talking to the Reds management, only his actual return after the end of the tournament with Egypt (the final is on the 18th) will clarify the situation. If Salah decides to leave (currently the whispers from Anfield say he will stay), it would be impossible for Liverpool to part ways with Chiesa. And even if Mo decides to stay and the spaces for Federico are those at the beginning of the season (222′ in the Premier League spread over 13 appearances), Juve in their attempt must always take into account the Italian’s desire to demonstrate that he belongs in the Premier League. He has never abandoned it, last season he strengthened it to the point that in this season he plays to the death even when he enters the field in the 85th minute: in his personal journey towards football rebirth, demonstrating that he can be important for the Reds is a point of honour. A point that Juve will have to deal with.