Federico Chiesa to regret Liverpool mistake after Arne Slot snub
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(Credit: Imago, Hasan Karim - Breaking Media)
Oliver Walton
Thu 4 September 2025 18:13, UK
Federico Chiesa may be wishing he tried harder to leave Liverpool during the summer window after he was handed a major setback to his Reds career by Arne Slot.
Federico Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer from Juventus for a cut-price fee of around £10million [The Guardian], but struggled for game-time upon his arrival on Merseyside.
The Italy international came into the side more often towards the end of the campaign, and he eventually helped Arne Slot’s side to win the Premier League title with six appearances.
Former scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in June that Liverpool were planning to accept offers for Chiesa in the summer after a disappointing first season at the club, with Slot content to see him depart.
He remained at the club throughout the window, however, and even scored a huge goal in the Reds’ season-opener against Bournemouth last month, but may now regret his decision not to depart following a shock new development.
Credit: Imago
Speculation around his future ended abruptly after his strike against the Cherries, as Arne Slot insisted that Chiesa would stay at Liverpool despite rumours of Fenerbahce being interested in his services [Calciomercato].
He came off the bench in their last two outings against Newcastle and Arsenal, but did not really affect either game much, and his standing within the Dutch boss’ squad now looks to have been confirmed after he was left out of the club’s Champions League squad.
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This has come as a shock to many, with one fan even claiming on X that Slot’s issue with Chiesa “has to be personal” following a year of struggles to impose himself within his side, especially now that he has been excluded in favour of 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha.
The 27-year-old’s increased minutes seem unlikely to be a priority going forward as the Reds aim to win another Premier League title, and Alexander Isak’s recent arrival at Liverpool could cause him more problems, with fellow summer capture Hugo Ekitike potentially set to play on the left-wing more often.
Chiesa will not be able to play in the Champions League until at least the knockout rounds, if Liverpool reach that stage, yet before the season started, it felt like that competition would be his best chance of game-time.
He will surely seriously regret his decision to stay, as a result, and may well even push for a move away in January if he continues to be consistently overlooked in league games for the next three months.
Chiesa is now coming up to a pivotal few years in his career at 27, and he cannot afford to spend his prime sat on the bench, or even in the stands, at Liverpool.
Their success as a team last season has obviously tempted him to stick around in the hope that Slot would see his worth and give him more chances, but that was arguably very wishful thinking, especially after the arrivals of Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.
AppearancesGoalsAssists1732Chiesa’s Liverpool career stats
Not only has been snubbed by Slot, but new Italy head-coach Gennaro Gattuso also decided against naming him in his squad for the Azzurri’s World Cup qualifiers this month.
Chiesa was once a key man for his national side, being named in the Team of the Tournament after their success at Euro 2020, but his lack of game-time at Liverpool has meant he is now out of the picture with the World Cup looming.
It would certainly make sense for him to leave the club in the new year if nothing changes, and Serie A champions Napoli were reported to be interested in him during the summer [Corriere dello Sport], so it is not as if he will be short of suitors from his home country in January.