Federico Chiesa joined Liverpool in late August 2024, the end of the summer transfer window. At that time, he had just suffered an injury during the pre-season with Juventus and was confirmed by captain Thiago Motta that he would not be used. It seemed that he would have to move to smaller teams, but in the end, Chiesa was rescued by Liverpool.
However, Chiesa's first time at The Kop was not a rosy one. The Italian international struggled to recover and adapt to the intense English football environment. By Christmas 2024, Chiesa had only played 123 minutes for Liverpool and failed to make an impact.
Initially, Arne Slot intended for Chiesa to share the burden with Mohamed Salah, but for the most part, the Egyptian striker has been playing regularly at the age of 32. Fortunately for Liverpool, Salah's form is still brilliant and helps them fly high in the two most important competitions. As for Chiesa, in the early period after his recovery, he often just sat and watched his teammates play in all competitions. It was not until early 2025 that things brightened up.
Liverpool failed to finish the Champions League qualifying round with a perfect record. In their final game, they lost 3-2 away to PSV, a man down. However, the defeat was Chiesa’s best performance since arriving at Anfield, with previous performances against Accrington, Brentford and Lille having featured only a few brief flashes.
The match against PSV was only Chiesa's second start of the season. It was also the first time the striker had played a full match since Italy beat Switzerland at EURO 2024.
"I would like to thank the coach and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity for 90 minutes tonight, it was really great. Since joining Liverpool, I have wanted to prove myself but I have not been able to do so due to many reasons.
Liverpool are a great team. It's difficult to get a chance to play but that's normal in football. Right now, I just want to be here to contribute to Liverpool and challenge myself every day. I'm ready for the next opportunity" - Chiesa shared after the match.
Chiesa contributed a lot to Liverpool's two goals at the Philips Stadion. Especially in the second half, when Arne Slot brought Tyler Morton on, Chiesa was constantly changing wings and had many smart touches. It was not until the match against PSV that fans gradually saw the peak of Chiesa, who was the Azzurri's brightest star in the journey to win EURO 2020.
Liverpool have had many Italian signings in the past, but most of them have been disappointing, such as Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Alberto Aquilani, Andrea Dossena and Daniele Padelli. This time, Federico Chiesa is forced to break the curse and this is also an opportunity for him to save his career. In Arne Slot's journey to conquer all four arenas, he really needs the reserve players to make an effort to ensure the best quality of the squad. This is the golden opportunity for Chiesa to seize.
Chiesa turned down the Saudi Pro League to seek the ultimate challenge at Liverpool. Here, he must adapt to the suffocating intensity of the Premier League. Not only that, Chiesa also has Liverpool's living legend Mo Salah in front of him.
Chiesa must work harder so that whenever Arne Slot needs someone to fill Salah's position, he is always ready. Looking further, if he plays better in the future, when Salah leaves Anfield, the right wing will belong to Chiesa and no one else.
