Federico Chiesa has just shown why Liverpool were right not to sign another forward

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However, despite the lack of a clear first choice to take the spot Mohamed Salah occupied for so long, Liverpool do still have plenty of options. What changes would you make if not? 👀 Liverpool potential XI That notion was borne out by the Reds’ release of their Champions League group stage squad late on Thursday.

For the second year running, Federico Chiesa was left out of the 25-man group, which hinted at his current status at the club.However, while he is not seen as a genuine candidate to play by some fans, if Liverpool were as short as fans insist they are, the Italian would have been included. But they are not, and had another forward been signed on deadline day, that would only have meant one more player being omitted from the Champions League squad.Liverpool have enough forwardsThe other notable update from Liverpool’s Champions League confirmation, at least in terms of their available attackers, is that Hugo Ekitike has been included.The Frenchman should therefore be back fit a decent amount of time before Liverpool’s last fixture of the group phase, which comes at home against Lens on January 27th.READ MORE: Liverpool set deadline for when Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley will be back in actionIf that all goes to plan, Ekitike will still miss at least three months of action – and probably even more – but he will play a good chunk of the campaign.With no room for Chiesa, that would mean Iraola can count on an elite group of attackers being available this season.

Ekitike would join Bradley Barcola, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha as part of an incredibly strong-looking group.Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesThough there is no standout on the right, Iraola likes his wingers to rotate, meaning we will likely see all of them bar Isak turn up on either side.Had a Sarr or a Minteh arrived, it would certainly not have done Liverpool any harm, but it would have meant even further competition for places, which once it goes past a certain point, can be detrimental to having a harmonious squad.If the Reds had been able to identify the absolute right player for a good price, then that would have been different. But given the options they do still have to choose from – and those who can’t even get in the squad – it would have to have been a needle-moving player to make it make sense.With none of those available or attainable, Liverpool were probably right to keep their powder dry, hold what they have and reassess in January.