View: Liverpool transfer smokescreen fails as player linked with January exit
Liverpool supporters were right to be furious with the club’s summer transfer window as sole arrival Federico Chiesa is already being touted with a Serie A return.
The 26-year-old completed a £10million switch to the Reds from Juventus on 29 August, arriving at Anfield as the only immediate recruit for Arne Slot after Giorgi Mamardashvili returned to Valencia for the season after his £29.6 million signing [Fabrizio Romano].
According to Calciomercato [23 October], Liverpool are open to loaning the forward back to a club in Italy, with AC Milan, Inter Milan and AS Roma registering interest after only one start for the club since his move – coming in the 5-1 win against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.
Chiesa did assist Diogo Jota in his sole start from an audacious bicycle kick but has struggled for fitness ever since, raising the question of whether his acquisition was solely sanctioned to appease the disgruntled fanbase.
Liverpool must answer the supporters if Federico Chiesa leaves
The signing of Chiesa was already questionable, with the club opting against signing another defensive midfielder after Martin Zubimendi refused to leave Real Sociedad and choosing to add a sixth forward to the attacking ranks.
Slot has been without the forward since the 2-1 win against Wolves in September and there are no signs he will be returning to the first team soon.
Chiesa was arguably one of the best forwards in the world before his long-term injury in 2022 – the prospect of him replicating that form at Anfield was certainly worth the risk. But, it has yet to work out on Merseyside as he continues to struggle with fitness.
Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will have a lot to answer for, regardless of the side’s form under Slot, if Chiesa leaves the club only four months after his signing.
It would not be the first time the club has sanctioned a signing to appease the fans. Wataru Endo arrived last year from Stuttgart despite not at all fitting the profile of a Liverpool-type signing, albeit the Japanese has been a relative success on Merseyside.
The same will be expected of Chiesa and while the jury is still out, the early signs point to the fact that his cut-price fee was an easy way for the club to appease the fans without addressing the glaringly obvious flaws within the squad.
In other Liverpool news, Matt Beard shares his Liverpool Women’s verdict after the Crystal Palace draw.
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