Liverpool star Federico Chiesa was dealt a fresh blow during the latest international break. The Italy international was called up by manager Gennaro Gattuso for the Azzurri's World Cup qualifying play-offs despite his lack of minutes at club level but had to leave the squad.
Chiesa has had a tough time since joining Liverpool from Juventus in 2024 and this was just the latest blow. Speculation continues to follow the Euro 2020 winner, though some unanswered questions remain.
“Not everyone is the same," Gattuso said when discussing Chiesa. "Footballers’ minds aren’t all alike. When I hear he has problems, that he’s hesitant, I have to make a decision.
“We decided together because he didn’t feel up to it; he went back home, and I accepted it. I can try to convince him for a while, but I always think that in life, beyond a match, relationships matter.
“I don’t have great medical expertise, but if someone isn’t feeling well, you shouldn’t insist. If he ends up damaging his knee, how is that player supposed to look at me? So I don’t push it - I make him understand. When someone feels they’re not at 100%, it’s right that they go home.”
Chiesa was one of just two players signed by Arne Slot in his first Liverpool window and the only one to join immediately, with Giorgi Mamardashvili only arriving at Anfield in 2025. The former Juventus star won the league title in his first season but was used sparingly.
The 28-year-old played less than 500 minutes in his first Reds campaign, with injuries disrupting his progress. He has already played more this term but the majority of his appearances - including 22 of his 23 league outings - have come from the bench.
Slot initially left Chiesa out of his squad for this season's Champions League, only for the Italian to get a lifeline when compatriot Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending injury. "Of course, that is one of the most difficult things you have to do as a manager," Slot said in September when discussing his conversations with the forward.
"For a player not to play, it is not always easy to tell them but not to be in the squad is always more difficult. I just explained to him why we made this choice. Of course, he wasn't happy with that.
"I think he understood my arguments - that is not to say he agreed with them. He didn't tell me, by the way, that he didn't agree with them! But he gave me the answer you want to hear from a player, that he will be there to help the team in the cups and in the league.
"That's one thing to say but I think he also showed this because he wasn't selected but he worked really hard these days to be ready for the upcoming days. That is even more important than what a player tells you."
Chiesa remains a cult hero among Liverpool fans, even though he hasn't necessarily proved a steal despite the £12.5million fee looking like a potential bargain, while he remains part of Italy's plans. While his opportunities remain limited, he has impressed on some of the occasions on which he has been thrust into the action and - to his credit - hasn't looked for an easy way out.
"I play for a top club. This is maybe one of the top three in the world. It's Liverpool – of course they are going to buy top players; of course, the competition is high," he said after setting up both goals in a Carabao Cup win against Southampton in September.
"If I don't want competition, I go to another team. But I want the competition, I want to play here and I think, at the end of the day, competition helps you to become a better player."
Chiesa signed a four-year deal when he joined Liverpool, leaving them in no rush to cash in. Even if they were to consider selling the forward, they don't have to worry about missing out on a big fee by risking him running down his contract, simply because he was never likely to command a significant sum.
With Mohamed Salah leaving Anfield at the end of the season, there could be more changes when it comes to the front line. Chiesa's situation remains rather out of the ordinary, though more clues could emerge once the dust settles on the current campaign.
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