Liverpool star breaks silence on potential summer exit | OneFootball

Federico Chiesa Eyes Bigger Liverpool Role Under Andoni Iraola

Federico Chiesa has made his position clear. He wants to stay at Liverpool, he wants a bigger role, and he sees Andoni Iraola’s arrival as the reset he needed.

After a frustrating spell under Arne Slot, where starts were limited and minutes came in dribs and drabs, the Italy forward is back pushing his case. His goal in the 4-2 friendly win over Sunderland in Nashville will not decide anything on its own, but it helps. More importantly, his message after the game was direct. “Right now, at the moment, I am happy here at Liverpool,” he said. “I love the club, I love the fans, I love everything. I am doing the best I can to have a chance here and then we will see. At the minute, the only thing I am thinking about is Liverpool.”

That matters because there has been noise around his future. A return to Italy has been discussed, largely because his first two years on Merseyside never really got going. Signed from Juventus for £12.5 million in August 2024, Chiesa has struggled to nail down a regular place. Across Slot’s two seasons in charge, he made only nine starts in all competitions. Last season alone he was used 31 times from the bench.

Liverpool fresh start under Iraola

Chiesa is not pretending the past did not happen. He accepted that opportunities were limited and made the obvious point, coaches pick players and players live with it. There is no drama here, no grand statement, just a footballer recognising that a managerial change can alter the pecking order very quickly.

He said: “It is always a fresh start at the beginning of the year. Maybe there have been too many fresh starts, but I don’t care. I am trying to do my best for this new manager. Last year I also felt ready to play a bigger role, but then it depended on whether the coach wanted me to play or not.”

Photo: IMAGO

He followed that with: “The gaffer had his game plans, he took his decisions, I have nothing to say about that. This year, let us say it is a new chapter. There is a new manager and I have to focus on that.”

That is the key point. Iraola is not tied to old assumptions. Chiesa knows that and so does everyone else in the squad.

Federico Chiesa adapting to new demands

So far, the conversations with Iraola have been practical rather than political. Chiesa said there has been no grand summit over his future. The discussions have centred on pressing, tactical work and positional detail. In the Sunderland game he was used through the middle, a role less familiar to him, but one he appears willing to embrace.

“The only conversations I’ve had with the coach have been about pressing and tactics,” he adds. “He put me striker today. I have played my whole career as a winger but I am happy to play striker as well.”

That flexibility may be his best route into the side. Iraola wants intensity, aggression and one v one duels all over the pitch. Chiesa, when fit, can offer that. He also explained the early signs of the new regime plainly: “We have been training two weeks now with a new coach and we have seen what he wants. He wants high intensity, one versus one all over the pitch, that’s what we wanted to show today.”

Anfield expectations and Italy ambition

Chiesa also did not dress up Liverpool’s standards. Fifth place last season was a poor outcome for a club that won the Premier League in 2024-25. He was blunt about that too. “Liverpool deserves more,” he says. “Two seasons ago we were Premier League champions. Last season we almost went out of the Champions League spots. We were battling for fifth, which was enough at the time but as we know usually only four clubs go in. We were lucky. It was a tough season and this season we need to do better in the Champions League as well. I think we’ve got the squad to do that.”

That is the baseline. Liverpool need more, and Chiesa needs more as well. He is 28 now, not a prospect, not a project. This has to be a season of substance.

There is also the Italy angle. He has been stuck on 51 caps and has not featured internationally since Euro 2024. Fitness and injuries got in the way, and he admitted as much. “I spoke to Gattuso a few times last season but I was not ready physically at the time,” he says. “I needed more minutes and he understood the situation. When I got back in March, unfortunately I got injured. But of course I am looking forward to playing for the national team. I have won (the Euros in 2021) with the national team and it is always great to play for your country.”

Simple enough. Chiesa wants to stay, wants to play, and knows excuses are running out. Under Iraola, he may finally get his chance.