Fabrizio Romano: Liverpool favourite has now had a change of heart over his Anfield future | OneFootball

According to Fabrizio Romano, one Liverpool player has seemingly had a change of heart since the start of the summer regarding his future at the club.

In June, the transfer reporter informed CaughtOffside that Federico Chiesa wanted a return to Serie A due to a lack of game-time at Anfield in his first season with the Reds, and rumours have abounded over the 27-year-old for several months.

He played no part in the Community Shield recently but was summoned from the bench in our Premier League opener against Bournemouth last Friday and netted a late game-changing goal in front of the Kop that he dedicated to Arne Slot.

What has Romano now said about Chiesa’s Liverpool future?

Late on Monday night, Romano took to X with an update on Liverpool’s number 14, claiming that the forward now wishes to remain on Merseyside as the exit of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich last month has opened the door to more regular opportunities this season.

The transfer reporter posted: ‘Federico Chiesa and his agent have informed Liverpool about clear desire to stay at the club. Chiesa considered to leave in June/July when LFC rejected bids for Diaz and Federico was left out of Asian tour. Now Diaz left, more space and that goal to open new chapter.’

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Could that goal be the making of Chiesa at Liverpool?

For much of the summer, it had seemed as though the 27-year-old’s days at Liverpool were numbered, especially when a minor injury ruled him out of the pre-season tour to the Far East in July.

However, his dramatic intervention against Bournemouth could hopefully be a seminal moment in his Reds career and (just maybe) the first step towards a more productive and impactful campaign this time around.

Chiesa can take heart from teammate Ryan Gravenberch, who endured a frustrating first season at Anfield in 2023/24 before then going on to become such a core part of the team that some journalists have now labelled him ‘irreplaceable‘.

With Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Mo Salah all finding the net last Friday as well, the Italian might still find it difficult to carve out a regular starting berth under Slot, and the potential addition of Alexander Isak would make minutes harder to come by.

As we know from previous years, though, injuries to regular players can see more peripheral names thrust into the thick of the action, with many of those making the most of their unexpected opportunity.

Chiesa might still need to be patient at Liverpool, but his change of heart from a couple of months ago will come as fantastic news to a fan base which adores him, as was evident by the vigour with which his chant reverberated around Anfield shortly before 10pm on Friday night!