'I'm happy here!' - Federico Chiesa hints at Liverpool transfer U-turn after goal heroics against Bournemouth as Arne Slot addresses his future

Liverpool had looked in complete control before throwing away a two-goal cushion, leaving Anfield restless and anxious. Enter Chiesa. Brought on by Arne Slot with the scoreline locked at 2-2, the 27-year-old seized his chance. With his very first telling contribution, he restored Liverpool’s advantage, sparking deafening roars from the Kop. 

Linked heavily with a summer return to Serie A, Chiesa used the post-match spotlight to end speculation over his future.

“We will talk to Liverpool, but to be perfectly honest, I am happy here," he said. "I am playing for one of the best teams in the world. I just have to wait and be ready, as I was tonight, and prove that I can play for this team."

Speaking on the match itself, he added, "I play wherever the coach puts me. I arrived here and had a lot of difficulty because the tempo is just so different, but after a year, I finally got my first Premier League goal. The coach gave me a chance and always had words of encouragement for me.”

After his sensational cameo, manager Arne Slot praised Chiesa for his resilience and opened the doors for an extended stay at Merseyside.

"As long as he's here, it's definitely at Liverpool and I have no reason to believe something is going to change," he said. "He had a hard time last season getting his fitness ready. Unfortunately for him, he missed out on our Asian tour as well, so he missed quite a lot. When we needed Federico at 2-2, we brought him in and he delivered, and that's always positive for your future at the club. After the fans sung for him so many times during the game and last season as well, I think it's nice for him to give them something in return, and that's definitely what he did today."

Remarkably, all three of Chiesa’s goals in a Liverpool shirt have come in the dying moments; each scored in the 88th minute or later. For a player once struggling to make an impression, he is now carving out a reputation as the Reds’ late-game talisman.

If Chiesa can turn his cameos into consistency, his story in England could be rewritten entirely. Liverpool’s next test comes against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on August 25, and it remains to be seen if the Italian can build on the newfound momentum.