Federico Chiesa handed major Liverpool lifeline after Arne Slot confirmation
Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has been handed a Liverpool lifeline following a huge new squad update from Arne Slot.
Federico Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer from Juventus for a cut-price fee of around £10million, but struggled for game-time upon his arrival on Merseyside.
The Italy international came into the side more often towards the end of the campaign, and he eventually helped Slot’s side to win the Premier League title with six appearances.
Former scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in June that Liverpool were planning to accept offers for Chiesa in the summer, but he remained at Anfield after netting in their 4-2 against Bournemouth on the opening day of the new season.
Chiesa shone against Southampton in the Carabao Cup in midweek in his first start of 2025-26, and another development from that game has seemingly boosted his chances of staying at Liverpool long-term.
Arne Slot confirms that Federico Chiesa has replaced Giovanni Leoni in Liverpool’s Champions League squad
Chiesa was not even named in Liverpool’s Champions League squad, so needed to take his chances in either the league or cup when he was given a rare start, which he did against Southampton on Tuesday (23 September).
His compatriot Giovanni Leoni came off injured on his Liverpool debut against the Saints, and Arne Slot confirmed on Friday (26 September) that the young defender has suffered an ACL injury and is set to be sidelined for a year.
Leoni was initially named in the Reds’ squad for the UCL, but his major issue has seen Chiesa take his place on the list, as revealed by Slot in the same press conference.
Chiesa must grab this lifeline at Liverpool with both hands
Chiesa’s last competitive Reds start before the Southampton game came all the way back in February in the FA Cup away at Plymouth Argyle, and he failed to take his chance that day as the hosts came away with a famous 1-0 victory.
His latest potential chance to impress from the off felt like a complete make-or-break for his Anfield career, especially after Football Insider recently revealed that Chiesa could be on his way out of Liverpool in January with opportunities set to be at a premium.
He laid on two assists for both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to score, while also creating two more big chances, drawing two fouls, taking four shots and winning five of his eight ground duels [Fotmob].
Now that he is officially included in Slot’s Champions League squad, he will have even more chances to impress and potentially push to start in more important games, rather than sitting on the bench and failing to come on.
If he does play well against top European clubs, then surely Liverpool will think twice about potentially letting him go in January or next summer, meaning his future at the club could look a lot clearer thanks to this new decision.