Federico Chiesa wants to stay at Liverpool: He sees Iraola's arrival as an opportunity for a new chapter
Federico Chiesa has no plans to leave Liverpool despite months of speculation about a possible return to Serie A. After two seasons with limited playing time, the Italian forward wants to take advantage of the change in the dugout and fight for a more important role under new head coach Andoni Iraola. Following the 4:2 pre-season victory over Sunderland in Nashville, he said that he was happy at Anfield, that he loved the club and its supporters, and that his only current objective was to prove himself at Liverpool. His words do not mean that his status in the team has already been settled, but they clearly show that the 28-year-old is not looking for a way out before being given an opportunity in the new system. He still has two years remaining on his contract, so Liverpool are under no immediate pressure to sell him, while the upcoming pre-season matches will show how seriously Iraola is counting on him.
Chiesa's message came at a time when Liverpool are at the beginning of a broader sporting reconstruction. Iraola succeeded Arne Slot in June 2026 after a season in which the club finished fifth in the Premier League with 60 points and qualified for the Champions League thanks to an additional English place in Europe's elite competition. For a club that had won the league only a year earlier, such a decline was not satisfactory, and Chiesa openly stated after the match against Sunderland that Liverpool had to offer more. His personal ambition is therefore also connected to the team's larger objective: returning to the battle at the top of English football and making a more serious breakthrough in Europe. In such an environment, every fringe player receives a new opportunity, but also has very little room for error.
Goal against Sunderland as his first argument
Liverpool's first appearance under Iraola ended in a 4:2 victory over Sunderland on 25 July 2026 at GEODIS Park in Nashville. According to the club's official report, Liverpool took the lead through Kieran Morrison, Sunderland turned the match around through Enzo Le Fée and Timur Tutierov, before Dominik Szoboszlai, Chiesa and Lewis Koumas completed Liverpool's comeback. Chiesa came on at the beginning of the second half and played through the centre of the attack, a position in which he had been used less frequently than on the wing during most of his career. At the end of the move, he ran in behind the defence to meet Calvin Ramsay's pass and restored Liverpool's lead with a precise finish. In a friendly match, the result itself is not decisive, but the goal came at an important moment for a player attempting to change perceptions of his role.
After the match, Iraola stressed that the contest had given Liverpool a starting point for further work, while Chiesa revealed that his first conversations with the coach had focused on pressing, tactical demands and movement at the top of the attack. That is an important detail because Iraola's football requires much more from a forward than finishing. His teams seek to press the opposition's last line aggressively, attack quickly after winning possession and constantly offer runs in behind. Chiesa has the pace and ability to attack space, but he will have to demonstrate that he can maintain his intensity without the ball and link play in central areas. If the coach genuinely sees him as an option in the number nine position, it could open a different route to playing time from the one he had under Slot.
Two seasons marked by appearances from the bench
Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus in August 2024, when the English club officially announced that he had signed a long-term contract. British reports estimated the transfer at £10 million plus potential add-ons, which represented a relatively small financial risk for a player with his international experience. Nevertheless, his sporting impact during his first two years remained below expectations. According to statistics published by beIN Sports, he made 14 appearances in all competitions during the 2024/25 season, ten of them as a substitute, scoring two goals and registering one assist. Liverpool won the Premier League that season, but Chiesa played a part in the title mainly as a rotation player.
In the following season, his number of appearances increased to 36, but he was included in the starting line-up only five times. The Guardian states that he started only once in the Premier League, even though Liverpool experienced injury problems in attack during the season. In total, he played 726 minutes, scored three goals and provided three assists, showing that he could contribute in limited playing time but could not change the hierarchy. His most recent start in a competitive match came in February, in the victory over Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Such a distribution of minutes explains why stories about a possible departure intensified during the spring and summer.
Chiesa did not publicly enter into a dispute with his former coach. After the match in Nashville, he said that he had believed he was ready for a larger role last season, but at the same time accepted that the coach made decisions according to his own plan. That tone is important for understanding his current position: he is not trying to rewrite the past or claiming that he is entitled to a place in the team, but instead describes Iraola's arrival as a "new chapter". In practice, that chapter will depend on much more concrete criteria, from physical preparation and tactical discipline to competition in the attacking line. A goal in the first pre-season match gave him a good start, but no guarantee.
Iraola's system could open up a new role
Liverpool appointed Iraola on 4 June 2026 after his three-year spell at Bournemouth. According to the club's official announcement, the Basque led Bournemouth to sixth place and the first qualification for European competition in the club's history during his final season, with the achievement including a run of 18 unbeaten league matches in the second half of the campaign. His teams are recognised for their high intensity, directness and willingness to take risks, so the adjustment will be demanding even for players who previously had stable roles. During the opening weeks of pre-season, Iraola emphasised that he wanted both to impose his own ideas and to learn the positions in which the players felt most comfortable. It is precisely that process that offers Chiesa the space he did not have last season.
During his career, the Italian has most often played as a left or right winger, from where he can attack the inside channel, look for a shot with his right foot or accelerate towards goal. In the centre of the attack, he faces different demands: he must play with his back to goal more frequently, time his runs to avoid offside, participate in the first wave of pressing and create space for teammates arriving from deeper positions. Against Sunderland, he demonstrated his value when attacking in behind, but more serious tests are still to come. Iraola is known for demanding collectively synchronised pressure, so one successful sprint or goal will not be enough if the player does not fit into the team's structure. Chiesa's advantage is his versatility, while his greatest challenge is consistency.
The new position could also be useful for Liverpool, particularly during a long season featuring commitments in the Premier League, the Champions League and domestic cup competitions. A player capable of covering both wings and the centre of the attack increases the possibility of rotation without major changes to the line-up. However, his role will not be determined solely by his nominal position, but by how effectively he can execute Iraola's demands during different phases of play. The coach has only recently begun working with part of the squad because the internationals joined up at different times after the World Cup. As a result, the true attacking hierarchy is unlikely to become clearer until shortly before the beginning of the league season.
Interest from Italy exists, but there is no confirmed transfer
Chiesa's name was linked with Juventus and Como during the summer, but no official offer or transfer agreement had been announced by 27 July 2026. The Guardian reported that both Italian clubs had been mentioned as possible destinations, while other media outlets stressed that a return to Serie A could provide him with greater playing time and a familiar footballing environment. Juventus would represent a return to the club for which he made 131 appearances, scored 32 goals and registered 23 assists between 2020 and 2024, according to Liverpool's official player profile. Como has developed into an ambitious project in recent seasons, but interest mentioned in the media is not the same as formal negotiations. Chiesa therefore correctly left open the possibility that the situation could develop, but made it clear that he was currently thinking only about Liverpool.
His contractual situation gives the club a certain degree of security in negotiations. With two years remaining on his contract, Liverpool do not have to sell him below their valuation and, at the same time, have enough time to assess whether he can be useful in Iraola's system. Staying also carries a risk for the player himself: if he does not secure more substantial playing time under the new coach either, he will enter the final year of his contract next summer and once again face a career decision. On the other hand, leaving before the end of pre-season would mean giving up the first genuine opportunity for the new coaching staff to assess him without the burden of the previous hierarchy. His current decision is therefore not so much sentimental as professionally logical.
Liverpool's view of the structure of their attack will also be important. The club must assess whether it needs Chiesa as an experienced rotation option, whether he can accept such a role if he does not become a regular starter, and whether his profile suits the plan for multiple competitions. In a modern schedule, reserve players can often make a large number of appearances, but the difference between occasional substitute appearances and genuine responsibility remains significant. Chiesa made 36 appearances last season but started only five times, which is exactly the kind of statistic that can conceal limited influence. His objective now is not simply to increase his number of appearances from the bench, but to become a player whom the coach trusts from the first minute in important matches.
Liverpool seek a return to the group of title contenders
Chiesa's personal story is unfolding during a season of great expectations for the entire club. The official Premier League table shows that Liverpool finished fifth in 2025/26 with 17 victories, nine draws and 12 defeats, recording a goal difference of 63:53. Champions League qualification was secured through fifth place, but that performance represented a major step backwards compared with the title won a year earlier. In Europe, Liverpool reached the quarter-finals, where Paris Saint-Germain defeated them 2:0 in both matches, according to official UEFA data. After the friendly in Nashville, Chiesa stated that a club of Liverpool's stature must not consider fifth place a success.
Iraola's task is therefore not only to introduce a different style, but also to rebuild competitive stability. Liverpool must reduce their number of defeats, improve their defensive balance and find enough goals from multiple sources, particularly when the schedule becomes congested. In such a season, a forward who can come off the bench, start cup matches and compete for a place in the league line-up can be highly valuable. Chiesa has already shown that he can bring energy and directness against tiring defences, but he now wants to prove that he is not merely a specialist for the closing stages of matches. Iraola will assess whether he can trust him when Liverpool need to control the tempo from the beginning, press high and defend as a unit.
The pre-season victory over Sunderland also provided a warning. Liverpool conceded two goals, while Joe Gomez went off with an injury in the opening ten minutes, so the coach spoke after the match about the need for further work and squad depth. The attacking part of the team was effective, but friendly matches primarily serve to test physical fitness, tactical relationships and individual roles. Chiesa's goal is valuable because it confirms that he has approached pre-season seriously, but his status will not be decided on the basis of a single moment. The coming weeks will show whether he can repeat such actions and, without the ball, carry out what Iraola requires.
The stakes are also significant because of the Italian national team
More playing time at Liverpool could reopen the door to the Italian national team for Chiesa. The forward was one of Italy's key players at the 2021 European Championship, but in recent years he has experienced interruptions related to injuries, form and a lack of continuity at club level. After the match against Sunderland, he said that he wanted to return to the national-team squad and reiterated how much representing his country meant to him. In July 2026, the Italian Football Federation announced that Italy had dropped to 15th place in the FIFA rankings after failing to qualify for the World Cup. During a period of national-team rebuilding, every Italian player competing regularly at the highest level will have a greater chance of becoming important again.
For Chiesa, the 2026/27 season could therefore be a turning point on two levels. At Liverpool, he must prove that he can be more than a popular player who occasionally changes matches from the bench, while internationally he must rebuild the status he enjoyed during his best years. Remaining at Anfield offers him the highest level of club competition, but only if he manages to secure meaningful minutes. A return to Italy could emerge again as an option if he concludes that the hierarchy has not changed, but for now there is no indication that he wants to rush such a decision. His message from Nashville was simple: first, he wants to receive a fair opportunity under Iraola.
Liverpool still have the greater part of their pre-season programme ahead of them, while the new coach has yet to work with the complete squad. Chiesa enters that process fit, motivated and with a goal in the first match of the new era, which is a better starting point than he had at the beginning of previous seasons. At the same time, competition, tactical demands and the club's ambitions mean that he will not earn a regular place on reputation alone. Iraola has so far shown him a possible route through the role of centre-forward and intense pressing. It is now up to Chiesa to turn the initial opportunity into lasting trust during the summer.
Sources:
- The Guardian - Federico Chiesa's statements about staying, his relationship with Iraola, playing time and interest from Italian clubs (link)
- Liverpool FC - official report from the pre-season match between Liverpool and Sunderland in Nashville (link)
- Liverpool FC - official confirmation of Andoni Iraola's appointment and an overview of his work at Bournemouth (link)
- Liverpool FC - Federico Chiesa's profile, transfer information and record at Juventus (link)
- Premier League - official final table for the 2025/26 season and Liverpool's league record (link)
- UEFA - official results of Liverpool's 2025/26 Champions League quarter-final matches against Paris Saint-Germain (link)
- beIN Sports - statistics on Chiesa's appearances and playing time during his first two seasons at Liverpool (link)
- FIGC - official announcement regarding Italy's fall in the FIFA rankings after failing to qualify for the World Cup (link)