Liverpool flop belongs in the Rodgers era

Has the ship already sailed? Will this happen to Federico Chiesa at Liverpool?

The forgotten man of last season, the Italian winger was unlucky again this time around, having been unable to use Mohamed Salah’s situation to his advantage this week.

In fact, even with the Egyptian ruled out of the trip to San Siro, Chiesa was unable to take advantage of this potential opening in the right berth, after he was forced to miss the encounter with Inter Milan due to illness.

Almost halfway through his second season at Anfield, the former Juventus player – signed for a £13m fee – remains attached to the perimeter, having made just 29 appearances in all competitions overall.

Standout moments, such as his crucial win against Bournemouth on the opening day, saw the 28-year-old’s hero standing on Merseyside, although the jury is still out on whether he can truly emerge from the shadows.

Latest news about Federico Chiesa’s future

In fact, the Reds achieved Premier League glory last season without the impact of any new signing, with Chiesa – the only big addition that summer – limited to just six league appearances all season.

Often overlooked by Slott in the 2024/25 season, even his increased influence this time around has not changed his place in the attacking pecking order, with all ten of his Premier League appearances coming from the bench.

The man who stepped in to prevent Wilson Isidore from securing a potential win for Sunderland not long ago, there is a will in Chiesa to perform, not least because of the not-quite-full options on the flanks.

However, it appears that Slott – much like his neglect of the one-time Fiorentina star – has other ideas, such as limited game time for the winger, with a January exit still being discussed according to recent reports.

As reported by The Athletic, the Euro 2020 champion is said to have a “number of admirers” with the winter window now approaching, although he is said to pose a potential “danger” if Liverpool allow him to leave, considering their relatively small pool of attacking alternatives.

However, Chiesa himself may want to push for a transfer, if his situation does not improve, with reports last month suggesting his agent was in talks over a potential transfer, amid hopes of a return to Italy’s plans ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in March.

A desire to leave would not be surprising given his lack of use over the past 18 months, with Liverpool potentially left to ponder the wisdom of signing such a deal.

However, Chiesa is not alone in this department…

Liverpool’s no-nonsense signing belongs to the Rodgers era

As harsh as it may sound, Chiesa’s minimal impact would force anyone to come to the conclusion that he was an almost meaningless signing, with Slott showing little appetite for handing a regular role to the striker despite his injury-prone nature.

Rightly or wrongly, ‘meaningless’ may be the word that currently comes to mind regarding this summer’s marquee signing, Alexander Isak, as the misguided Swede once again looks to set the pace ahead against Inter.

Pegged at the 68th minute mark, having made just 25 touches and registered just one shot, the former Newcastle United man was once again largely a spectator of proceedings at the San Siro, with the excuse for his lack of pre-season now beginning to fade.

With just two goals in all competitions for his new side, following that controversial shift in the club’s record from St James’ Park, the 26-year-old has already entered disastrous signing territory, with Slot and his team-mates needing drastic improvement ahead of 2026.

There is also a sense that despite the need for depth, was this a move FSG really needed to make, considering they had already managed to snatch Newcastle target Hugo Ekiteke from Eintracht Frankfurt?

And while Isak toiled, the young Frenchman has impressed, already scoring eight goals from just 22 appearances, confirming the belief that he should be the first-choice striker.

As for Liverpool’s actual number nine, Isak appears to be following in the footsteps of the notable errors of the Brendan Rodgers era, echoing the post-Luis Suarez world that has seen the likes of Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke cajole to deceive at Anfield.

The summer of 2014, in the wake of Rodgers’ near-miss in terms of the title, was particularly egregious, with strike duo Lambert and Balotelli eventually scoring just seven goals between them during their short, forgettable stays on Merseyside.

Perhaps a better comparison would lie with Benteke, who signed a year later, with the Belgian – like Isak at Newcastle – looking prolific in the Premier League for Aston Villa, having scored 49 goals in 101 appearances for the Midlands side.

Only ten of the 42 will follow Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp.

It may be too early to write off Isak just yet, throwing him in with Rodgers’ disastrous trio of signings, although on current evidence he looks like Benteke in 2015.

Hopefully Ikitiki can prove he is Roberto Firmino.

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Liverpool returned to winning ways in Italy, but it wasn’t all positive for Arne Slott.