Why Federico Chiesa Could Be Heading Back to Italy This Winter

Federico Chiesa’s time at Liverpool has never quite clicked, and reports from Italy now suggest the player himself is starting to accept that. According to TuttoJuve, the winger is weighing up a return to Juventus, the club he left to join Liverpool in the first place.

None of this happens in isolation. Andoni Iraola is still shaping a Liverpool squad that went through serious upheaval before his appointment, and in that kind of environment, fringe players with big reputations but little rhythm are always the first to be scrutinised. Chiesa fits that description uncomfortably well.

A Move That Never Found Its Footing

On paper, Chiesa’s arrival made plenty of sense. He offered genuine quality across multiple attacking positions and had reached a high level for both Juventus and Italy. In practice, injuries and selection decisions have combined to keep him on the fringes at Anfield far more often than anyone at the club would have wanted.

It has been a stop-start story almost from the beginning. Fitness setbacks have repeatedly interrupted any momentum he might have built, and every time he has looked close to forcing his way into a settled role, another injury or a change in tactical approach has pushed him back to the fringes. That kind of pattern makes it extremely difficult for any player to build the trust of a coaching staff, let alone one going through as much transition as Liverpool currently are.

The Italian outlet reports that Chiesa, now 29 and with roughly 18 months left on his Liverpool contract, is eager to rebuild some consistency, partly with an eye on forcing his way back into Italy’s plans. That objective looks unlikely before March at the earliest, and only then if he finds regular football somewhere, whether that is at Liverpool or elsewhere from January.

What This Means for Liverpool’s Squad Planning

From Liverpool’s side, this presents a fairly simple calculation. Chiesa has not become a reliable rotation option, whether that is down to fitness, form or simply not fitting into Iraola’s plans. When a squad spot is not being used productively and depth elsewhere is still needed, a January exit could suit everyone involved.

January windows rarely produce dramatic transformations, but they can offer a clean solution for situations that have already stalled. Liverpool still require depth in wide areas, though that depth is only useful if it is trusted enough to be picked. Iraola’s system tends to demand high energy from wide players in both directions, and if Chiesa cannot reliably provide that over a full ninety minutes, the mismatch between player and plan becomes even harder to solve.

Our Take

We will be honest, this one is frustrating to read as a Liverpool supporter, not because Chiesa should have been a guaranteed success, but because it feels like another example of a talented signing never being given a clear route into the team. Injuries have played their part, but a player of his calibre drifting this far out of contention so quickly should raise questions about planning as much as about the player himself.

If Chiesa genuinely wants out, we would rather Liverpool move quickly and decisively than let the situation drag on and sour further. There is little value in keeping an unhappy player around simply for squad numbers, especially when Iraola is trying to build cohesion in a rebuilding season.

More broadly, this feels like part of a pattern. Too many squad decisions over the past year or so have looked reactive rather than considered, and Chiesa’s situation risks becoming another example of that if it is not handled properly. If Iraola does not see a role for him, the sensible move is to negotiate the best possible fee, let him rebuild his career in Italy, and reinvest properly in someone who fits both the system and Anfield’s demands for fitness and consistency.

There is also a human element worth remembering here. A player chasing regular football to save his international career deserves a straightforward conversation rather than being left in limbo for another transfer window. Clarity would benefit Chiesa just as much as it would benefit Liverpool’s own planning.

Supporters do not expect every arrival to work out. What they do expect is clarity, and right now Chiesa’s Liverpool career reads like a move that never found its purpose. Letting that uncertainty run into another transfer window would only add to a squad that still badly needs direction.