Why signing Federico Chiesa is smart business from Liverpool

Reports that Liverpool are set to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa in the final days of the transfer window have generated an excitement among the Reds’ fan base absent for most of the summer.

With a deal for the Italian almost complete, Liverpool will finally lose the unwanted label of the only club in England’s top flight not to make a single signing this transfer window. 

How does he fit in?

At first glance, it’s unclear where exactly Chiesa fits in a squad that already contains Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.

Liverpool already boast strong depth up front. The need to strengthen going forward certainly isn’t as pressing as that for a holding midfielder with Wataru Endo the only senior player in the Reds’ squad who naturally plays that role. 

When you take other variables into account, however, such as Chiesa’s price tag, Salah’s visible drop in form in the second half of last season, and the expanded Champions League format, Liverpool’s move to sign the Italian represents a shrewd piece of business. 

Chiesa would likely play mostly on the right wing. Though Salah is the undisputed starter there, the Italian would offer an alternative in the only position among Liverpool’s front three where there currently is none.

On the left wing, Gakpo creates competition for Luis Diaz, while Nunez and Jota will be manager Arne Slot’s two options at center forward.

Slot currently has no natural right winger to turn to should Salah suffer an injury or a loss of form, but Chiesa would fill that void well. 

While Salah’s age has yet to notably diminish his output, at 31, the winger may require slightly more rest in order to maintain his sharpness.

The expanded Champions League format will present more fixtures this season and the addition of Chiesa would provide Slot with greater leeway to rotate arguably his most important player out of the squad when he sees fit. 

Salah’s struggles in the second half of last season underline the importance of having an additional option at right wing.

Salah enjoyed a superb first half of the 2023/2024 season, but did not produce at the same level after he departed for the African Cup of Nations midway through the season and then suffered a lengthy injury shortly after he returned to the Liverpool squad. 

The Egyptian was far more wasteful in front of goal and his inability to match his ruthlessness from the earlier months of the campaign proved costly to Liverpool’s failed title challenge.

However, despite the clear dip in Salah’s performances following his weeks-long injury, Jurgen Klopp may have felt he had no choice but to continue to field his top scorer because of the lack of alternative choices at right wing.

Should a similar predicament arise this season, Chiesa would make it easier to ease Salah in and out of Liverpool’s first XI as Slot deems necessary.

Chiesa brings a unique skillset

The Italian also offers Slot a separate set of qualities off the bench if his side has trouble breaking opponents down.

Slot’s first two matches in charge suggest that he’ll set Liverpool up to keep more possession of the ball before they enter the final third, a contrast to Klopp's more direct approach.

That may give the opposition more time to organize at the back in greater numbers and in such scenarios, Chiesa’s pace and unpredictability going forward would help to unlock tight defenses in ways Liverpool’s current crop of forwards could not. 

At worst, Chiesa’s injury record continues to limit his availability. At best, the winger can rediscover the form that saw him emerge as a key player in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph.

Either way, with an initial fee of just €13 million before add-ons (per journalist Fabrizio Romano) Liverpool’s prospective deal for Chiesa is a risk-free piece of business for a player of undeniable quality.