Liverpool have just been handed another reason to keep Federico Chiesa for another year
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As Liverpool fans clamour to bring in a new winger this summer, it would be wrong to suggest that they have already been given one in Federico Chiesa.Nevertheless, after being completely restricted under Arne Slot, the Italian could be forgiven for feeling that the hiring of Andoni Iraola has given him an unexpected second chance with the Reds; a chance to truly and finally show himself.Had Slot stayed, Chiesa would almost certainly have left. Maybe Liverpool would be better off signing two or three €50m players… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill/AMA As it turns out, Chiesa already did that, with Iraola mentioning on more than one occasion the feeling he had at Anfield when the No.
14 scored late on to win the game against his Bournemouth side last August.If Chiesa can follow that up with a good pre-season, then there is no reason Iraola should discount him as a genuine option for Liverpool this term. The former Juventus man suits his high-energy, high-press style of football on paper, and with news now arriving that Andrea Pirlo is set to become Italy’s new manager, there is reason to believe that Chiesa could turn a corner and show the player he once was again.Andrea Pirlo can get the best out of ChiesaA portion of Liverpool fans will roll their eyes at the suggestion that Chiesa could be an option for Iraola, but if he is afforded some rhythm and given the chance to start in important matches, he really should improve.Slot never gave him that, and it must be virtually impossible for any player to hit their top level if they’re only playing three or four minutes every other week and know that they have no chance of ever starting the next game.READ MORE: Liverpool’s top winger target may just have changed after Real Madrid’s bid for Yan DiomandeHopefully Chiesa can show enough over the summer that Iraola will change that for him, and in Pirlo, the winger has a manager who has already gotten the best out of him.Pirlo was in charge at Juventus for what remains Chiesa’s best ever season for goals and assists in 2020/21.
Playing on the right of a front three, the Italy international scored 14 times and set up 10 more.He headed into that summer’s delayed European Championship as one of Europe’s hottest wingers, and delivered brilliantly as Italy won the trophy at Wembley.Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty ImagesPirlo left that summer, and, though the timing was coincidental, Chiesa’s career has been on a downward trajectory ever since.More than anything the former AC Milan midfielder can do for him tactically, maybe working with Pirlo again will remind Chiesa of the player he can be, and that, coupled with a potentially new lease of life at Liverpool, could spark something worth investing in.Liverpool can’t let Chiesa goOther opinions are available, but if there’s any Liverpool fan keen to move Chiesa on this summer, then their reasons must be purely personal.There is hardly a Liverpool player this century who has been afforded less of a fair crack than the former Juve man, and if the shackles can come off, the Reds could have their new winger answer right underneath their noses.At the very least, Pirlo’s impending appointment should whet his appetite to get back in the national team and to bring them back to the top table of international football. That fire being lit can bode well for Liverpool.At the very least, Iraola must be looking to Chiesa as an option until he brings in a new signing at the very least.