Federico Chiesa sends clear message to Arne Slot with first Liverpool start looming

Federico Chiesa sent a clear message to Arne Slot that he’s ready to make his first Liverpool start with a moment of magic in training.

The Italian forward arrived at Anfield from Juventus for a fee that could potentially rise to only £12.5 million ($16.7 million). The 26-year-old has battled injury problems in recent years but he looks fit and firing during the early days of his Liverpool career.

On the eve of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against West Ham United tonight, Chiesa put a marker down in training. A clip posted to social media saw Liverpool’s players involved in an attack vs. defense drill where the defending team attempted to play out to small goals. But the eye-catching moment came from the attacking team, which Chiesa was on.

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Receiving the ball just to the right of the center of the goal from Curtis Jones, Chiesa took one touch to set himself before bending an effort into the far top corner which left the goalkeeper with no chance. The strike brought cheers from Liverpool players and staff before Slot called for both teams to set up in their shapes again.

Chiesa’s viral moment of quality on the training pitch will be whetting Reds’ fans excitement to see him given a starting berth, which could come tonight in the cup. Slot could opt to ring the changes for the visit of West Ham in the Carabao Cup and hand a number of squad players a chance to impress from the off.

The cup tie presents Slot the first chance of his tenure to rotate his side in a competitive fixture and offers those who have begun the Dutchman’s reign on the fringe the opportunity to impress. One such player is Chiesa, who made his Reds debut in added time of the Champions League group stage match against AC Milan before playing the final 20 minutes of the Premier League win against Bournemouth last week.

Given the rich vein of form that Luis Diaz has started the season in - scoring five goals in five Premier League games, and the irreplaceable Mohamed Salah on the right, Chiesa will have to grab any opportunity that comes his way to impress with both hands.

The Italian scored 10 times for Juventus last season in his first double-figure campaign since his debut season in Turin in the 2020/21 season. Chiesa has struggled with injuries and form at the Old Lady, missing 11 games last season for club and country through various problems in a career that has been halted by a cruciate ligament tear two years ago which left him sidelined for nine months.

But if he’s able to remain free of serious injury and Slot can help him return to his sparkling best, then the transfer fee will quickly look an incredible bargain.