Liverpool ‘Insistent’ On Federico Chiesa Being A Long-Term Project

The Italian international hasn’t featured much for the Reds despite being in full training, but Chiesa’s future is believed to be at Anfield.

Federico Chiesa of Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and West Ham United / IMAGO / Visionhaus

Federico Chiesa's transition to the Premier League has not been easy since his £12 million move from Juventus.

Since his move, Chiesa has only made the matchday squad seven times and has only featured in four matches across all competitions for Liverpool, totaling 123 minutes of game time. 

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In the post-match press conference after the Reds’ five-goal win against West Ham, head coach Arne Slot explained that Chiesa’s absence in the matchday squad was because he believed the winger would benefit more from extra training sessions. 

With rumors about Italian clubs being interested in taking the winger on loan in the January transfer window, Liverpool supporters could be reminded of Arthur Melo's injury-ridden and ultimately failed loan move.

However, Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo reported Liverpool are ‘insistent’ that Chiesa is a long-term project and that Slot has never given an indication of frustration at the player’s inability to stake a consistent claim in the squad.

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Liverpool play 10 games in five weeks, from January 5th to February 6th. These include the Carabao Cup semifinal matches against Tottenham and a 3rd round FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley.

The recent injury to Joe Gomez is a potential warning to Slot to ensure players get enough rest over the coming busy period, and this could be a chance for Chiesa to get some minutes on the pitch and find his feet in the Liverpool squad.