Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson shuts down the noises that are mocking the signing of Federico Chiesa during the summer. The Reds signed Chiesa from Juventus for a bargain price of an initial £10 million as an addition for this season.
The Italian international has struggled to regain his fitness as he missed out on the pre-season tour during the summer. The new Juventus manager at that time, Thiago Motta, isolated Chiesa from other top players to stamp his authority there.
The Reds capitalised by signing the 27-year-old while his poor injury record in the last few seasons remained a concern. Nevertheless, Chiesa comes with an incredible international reputation and proven quality which has many peak years left in his special career.
The Italian made his name during the Euro 2020 competition and continued to progress as one of the best attackers. Chiesa suffered a cruciate ligament tear in the 2021-22 season that started his struggle with injuries in every subsequent season.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old remained a pivotal part of Juventus’ setup until the arrival of Motta and eventual signing with Liverpool. Lawrenson (via Liverpool Echo) describes Chiesa as a shrewd piece of business by the club, not a “silly signing.”He said:
“Federico Chiesa is not a silly signing for Liverpool because if they wanted to, they could get their money back on him. It was only (an initial) £10million so they gambled a little bit and he’s probably the fifth-choice forward, so he won’t be playing unless he’s absolutely fit. He’s got to get past the other four and Diogo Jota is coming back this weekend as well.”
Liverpool’s attacking department
While we agree with Lawrence that Liverpool have plenty of attacking depth, there is no hierarchy in the team. Furthermore, the attacking department possesses players capable of playing in several positions but Arne Slot has used them in their natural position mostly.
At the same time, there are necessary competitions for every position as Slot mostly plays three attackers in a game. Liverpool have in-form duo Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo for the left-wing slot which is the most secure position currently.
Diogo Jota has played as a number nine, competing with Darwin Nunez while Mohamed Salah commands the right-wing position. Chiesa’s versatility allows him to compete for any position in the attack with right wing requiring his availability the most.
Diaz’s performance against Bayer Leverkusen helped Slot find a new solution for the number nine position in Jota’s absence. The Portuguese international has struggled with recurring injuries since signing for Liverpool like Chiesa did at Juventus.
Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai could provide a healthy cover for Salah during the fixture congestion. Nevertheless, fans and experts associated with the club would prefer Chiesa to become a regular competitor for the Egyptian legend.
The Italian international possesses all the skills, technique and pace to challenge Salah and rotate with him during fixture congestion. Furthermore, if Chiesa returns from injury and remains fit, he gives Liverpool a strong reason to extend Salah’s contract with the drop in risk factor if the Egyptian regresses drastically in the future.
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Liverpool remains patient as the Italian international is regaining his fitness through a special programme made for him. Irrespective of what happens in the future, Chiesa’s value remains €30 million according to transfermarkt which proves what a risk-free deal he is.
