Chiesa Faces Defining Liverpool Pre-Season Under Iraola
Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool career has reached that awkward point where possibility and practicality begin to pull in different directions.
For a player of his pedigree, the numbers from 2025/26 tell a blunt story. Chiesa made 33 appearances in all competitions, yet started only twice. Across the campaign, he totalled just 686 minutes. In the Premier League, his involvement was even thinner, with 23 appearances, one start, 278 minutes, 2 goals and 1 assist.
That is not enough for a player signed with expectation. Nor is it enough for a forward trying to rebuild rhythm, confidence and trust after a difficult debut season at Anfield.
Chiesa Has One Clear Aim
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chiesa’s immediate plan is not to rush towards the exit. Instead, the Italian wants to report for pre-season and work under new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.
“There are many questions regarding the name of Federico Chiesa – such as whether he could be a potential target for Juventus, he might join Inter as a right-winger, if there is the possibility that Napoli and Roma could return to him,” Romano said on his Italian YouTube channel.
“Many of you are asking if Chiesa could be one of the protagonists of this transfer market.”
“At the present time the decision made by the Liverpool player is to participate in the preseason – to get together with the new coach Andoni Iraola. Chiesa just wants to play his cards in preseason at Liverpool.”
That phrase matters. Chiesa wants a chance. Not a guarantee, not a promise, simply the opportunity to show Iraola that he can still have a place in this Liverpool squad.
Iraola Assessment Could Shape Everything
For Iraola, this is an intriguing early test. Chiesa offers experience, intelligence and technical quality, yet his recent Liverpool record raises clear questions around sharpness, durability and tactical fit.
Iraola’s football demands running, aggression, timing and clarity in transition. Chiesa, at his best, has many of those qualities. The issue is whether Liverpool will see enough of that version during pre-season to justify keeping him beyond the summer window.
Romano’s update suggests this is not a decision for the final days of June.
“If during this preseason it becomes clear that the space between Chiesa and Liverpool is limited in that case he could become a name for the Italian market in the last weeks of the transfer market,” the Italian transfer guru explained.
“It is not an operation for late June – not for these days.”
Italian Interest Remains in Background
Juventus, Inter, Napoli and Roma all make sense as possible landing spots. Chiesa remains a known name in Serie A, and clubs there will understand both his strengths and his recent frustrations.
For Liverpool, the decision may be colder. If Iraola sees a forward capable of adding depth, unpredictability and experience, Chiesa could yet extend his Anfield story. If not, the final weeks of the window may bring the natural conclusion to a move that never quite found its rhythm.
For now, Chiesa has chosen the harder route. He will stay, train, compete and try to change minds. At Liverpool, that may be his last real card to play.
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