Liverpool leave Federico Chiesa out of Champions League squad | OneFootball

Liverpool have confirmed their 22-man List A squad for the Champions League group stage, with summer signing Federico Chiesa the most notable omission.

UEFA rules permit clubs to register up to 25 players, but eight of those must be locally trained.

That restriction meant manager Arne Slot could only name 17 non-homegrown players, and the Italian forward has been sacrificed despite scoring in last month’s Premier League win over Bournemouth.

Chiesa’s exclusion highlights the difficult balancing act facing Slot following an aggressive recruitment drive in the summer.

Record signing Alexander Isak is included, alongside Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giovanni Leoni and Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Rio Ngumoha is a surprise inclusion. UEFA rules prevented him from being registered on List B, which is reserved for players under 21 who have been with a club for at least two years uninterrupted.

Ngumoha only moved to Anfield in September 2024, meaning he had to be named in the senior squad.

The teenager has already made a mark at first-team level, scoring a dramatic 100th-minute winner against Newcastle United earlier this month.

His involvement in Europe’s elite competition offers further indication of the faith Slot has in him.

Liverpool’s defensive unit is well stocked with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Frimpong, Kerkez and Leoni.

In midfield, Wirtz joins Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo, giving Slot a wide range of options to rotate across the campaign.

The forward line is equally competitive. Isak, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Ekitike and Ngumoha have all been registered, with Chiesa left out despite his pedigree.

His omission may mean greater responsibility falls on Gakpo and Ekitike to provide support for Salah and Isak in Europe.

Liverpool exited the competition at the last-16 stage last season after a narrow defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Slot, in his second Champions League campaign as manager, will hope his reshaped squad can go deeper this time.

Liverpool open their campaign at Anfield against Atletico Madrid on September 17 before travelling to Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, Marseille and Qarabag also await in a challenging league-stage schedule.