'One hell of a player' - Liverpool and Arne Slot told they haven't seen Federico Chiesa's 'true qualities' as former Italy star backs compatriot to 'prove a point' at Anfield

Former Juventus star Chiesa moved to England in a cut-price deal ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. His debut season in England saw the 27-year-old winger become a Premier League title winner, but he took in just 104 minutes of top-flight action across six appearances.

Many expected Chiesa to head home after attracting interest from Serie A, but no suitable option materialised. That means that he remains on Merseyside, but no place was found for him in Liverpool’s Champions League squad for 2025-26.

Ex-Italy international Roberto Di Matteo does not consider that to be too much of an issue, with the Reds set to take in plenty of fixtures across multiple competitions this season, and believes that Chiesa can still “prove a point” if given an opportunity to showcase his talent.

Di Matteo, who spent time in England with Chelsea during his playing days and was speaking in association with BetVictor Online Casino, told GOAL when asked if Chiesa would have benefited more from another transfer: “It’s a very good question. I’m not sure how much he knew that he was going to be out of the squad. I think that depended on [Alexander] Isak’s signing. The fact that they signed him lastminute.com cost him the position in the squad.

“He had plenty of suitors in Serie A. I think there are two or three clubs that would have loved to have signed him. Maybe he wants to stick around at Liverpool and prove a point.

“If he stays fit, he’s one hell of a player. I know him very well. He just hasn’t been able to show his true qualities. Let’s not forget that Liverpool did pretty well last season - they had a settled team, [Luis] Diaz and [Mohamed] Salah on the sides. It wasn’t easy to break into that team.

“He showed glimpses of what he can do. But there are so many games, he’s not in the Champions League squad but he might get more Premier League time. It’s just a shame that we don’t see more of him because he’s a quality player.”

Chiesa is tied to a contract at Liverpool through to 2028. He has already been among the goals this season, registering a dramatic effort in an opening weekend win over Bournemouth, and has figured off the bench in all four of the Reds’ Premier League games.