When Federico Chiesa arrived at Liverpool, he was the very definition of an opportunistic signing. Since then, though, his actual opportunities to impress have been severely limited.
Chiesa has made a total of 11 appearances, but only three have come in the Premier League, and around two-thirds of his minutes have come in the domestic cups. While his father insisted recently that the 27-year-old was content on Merseyside, if he is to stay at Liverpool when the campaign ends, it is going to need to be a big pre-season for him.
“It wasn’t only that I didn’t see a lot of him during training sessions,” Slot said during his pre-Everton press conference when he was asked about Chiesa. “It was also because he was also more than we wanted — and he wanted — injured.
“It was good to see that he impacted the [Carabao Cup final] when he came in and that is what has happened this season already. Players come in and they impact the game.
“The assist was from Harvey Elliott who came on and impacted the game a few times now in the last few matches. It is good to see all these players are ready.”
Wataru Endo is another who has proven adept at stepping in when he has very sporadically been required, but it would be a stretch to say that Chiesa has always been primed and ready to go. Even when he has been there, he often hasn’t been turned to.
(Image: Getty Images)
“That is partly my job but also the player’s job to stay ready for the moment we need them,” Slot continued. “[Chiesa] is in competition with Mo Salah and I don’t think you can deny that Mo had quite a good season, so that makes it sometimes tough for him.
“But we know we can trust him when we need him. Not only him, but also all of the other ones that maybe haven’t played as much as Mo and Virgil, but we can trust them when we need them.”
As Liverpool enters what will undoubtedly be a big summer in the transfer market, Chiesa’s situation is a reminder of what is required. From the sound of what Slot was saying in his press conference, it will take more than a goal at Wembley to lead to more chances in the team.
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At the same time, though, Chiesa might argue that he can only show what he can do if he gets a chance on the pitch, be it from the sidelines or the start. He can’t prove he should be there unless he is there.
When Liverpool buys players, it only does so when there is enough evidence that there is a good chance they will make a tangible difference to its points total (or the price is small enough and the upside large enough to give it a go, as in Chiesa’s case). Leading the way in the Premier League table by 12 points, the level of signing required is extremely high.
Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez or Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak would clearly improve the Liverpool starting XI, and a big period awaits in terms of who might come in this summer. Chiesa was hugely exciting when the decision was made to gamble on him last last — but you’re going to have to be considerably better even than the Italian to stand a true chance of catching Slot’s attention.
