Three appearances, 18 minutes in the Premier League & talk of January transfer: Was Euro 2020 winner Federico Chiesa a 'silly signing' for Liverpool?

The Reds moved to snap up Chiesa after seeing the Italy international put up for transfer by Serie A giants Juventus. The 27-year-old winger represented a calculated risk by those at Anfield given his recent injury record.

Chiesa is, however, a proven performer at the very highest level and a potential match winner on his day. Liverpool have not seen enough of those, with the Italian struggling to make his mark on Merseyside amid fierce competition for places from the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Liverpool legend Lawrenson has told Paddy Power when asked if bringing in the Euro 2020 winner was a mistake: “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 £10 million 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.”

Lawrenson added on future plans for Chiesa, with there already talk of him being lined up for a move elsewhere in the January transfer window: “If Liverpool want to send him back to Italy to get some games, then they can, but it’s not the end of the world if he stays or goes.”

All three of Chiesa’s appearances for Liverpool came in the space of nine days in September – as he graced Champions League, Premier League and Carabao Cup clashes with AC Milan, Bournemouth and West Ham. He started the last of those fixtures, on September 25, but has not been seen since and is still working on building his match fitness.