One question sprung to mind when news broke that Federico Chiesa was set to join Liverpool from Juventus for just £10 million - what’s the catch?
It’s a deal that, on the face of it, looks too good to be true. English football fans not paying attention to Serie A on a weekly basis might best remember Chiesa as the swashbuckling star of Italy’s European Championship triumph three years ago.
So how is it possible that the Azzurri pin-up is available for such a low price? Why are Juventus happy to let him go? And is he still the player who lit up the Euros in 2021 Let’s have a closer look at the Reds’ eye-catching summer swoop.
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Why was Federico Chiesa so cheap for Liverpool to sign?
There are two main reasons. Juventus didn’t want to lose him for free next summer, and they were keen to get his wages off the books to aid Thiago Motta’s squad rebuild.
Chiesa was one of Juve’s top earners, with a salary of €5 million, net per year, putting him second only to striker Dusan Vlahovic. Getting that salary off the budget was attractive to Juventus in a summer where they are rebuilding the squad in the image of new coach Motta, who is taking the club in a very different direction from predecessor Massimiliano Allegri.
The Azzurri winger’s deal was set to expire in June 2025, so keeping him would have run the risk of losing him on a free transfer next year.
And finally, Calcio e Finanza have explained that Juve will be able to record a small capital gain (just over one million euros) on their yearly budget from the sale, which, once added to Chiesa’s remaining salary and amortisation, could see the club record a boost of as much as 22 million euros in their 2024/25 accounts.
Why were Juventus happy to sell him?
First thing’s first. Juventus were happy to sell Chiesa because he wasn’t wanted by Motta.
The former Bologna coach made that much perfectly clear after arriving in Turin this summer. Chiesa was left out of the pre-season tour, trained separately from the first-team squad and wasn’t called up for either of the opening two rounds of the Serie A season.
Chiesa said as much in his farewell Instagram post: "I never received any renewal offer from Juventus, and as a consequence, a request was never made by me or my entourage regarding a salary increase or reduction. I was informed that I would not be part of the project before pre-season training even began."
A new era has begun in Turin since Motta replaced Allegri, including fresh faces on the wings.
Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao have been signed from Fiorentina and Porto respectively, while Next Gen (Juve’s third-tier U23 side) starlet Samuel Mbangula has made a strong start to the season and teenage sensation Kenan Yildiz has been handed the No.10 shirt once worn by the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Baggio in a clear sign of youthful intent from the club.
But it’s also true that in Turin, Chiesa failed to truly deliver on the explosive potential he showed as a youngster. An ACL injury in January 2022 came just six months after his breakout tournament and he has struggled to hit the same heights ever since, struggling with patchy form and intermittent fitness issues since his comeback - although being asked to play as a wing-back or second striker in Allegri’s stodgy side probably didn’t help.
Last season’s return of nine league goals was Chiesa’s best yet for the Bianconeri, but didn’t tell the full story. The second half of the season was ugly for the Old Lady as their title challenge spectacularly fell apart, and the winger was even booed by some fans who had grown frustrated at seeing flashes of quality mixed with maddening moments of poor decision-making or an inability to influence a game.
Is Chiesa still the same player we saw at Euro 2020?
At the moment, no. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get back to that level.
Chiesa’s game three years ago was built on his explosiveness and willingness to fearlessly take on defenders, causing confusion and chaos with his directness and pace. The ACL injury came at an awful time for him, and the former Fiorentina star hasn’t looked the same physical force since then.
“Chiesa will never be a problem. But he’s coming off a period where he’s played less and just needs to get back into his best shape,” Allegri said after the winger was whistled by his own supporters against Frosinone in February.
There were a few extenuating circumstances, though. Allegri’s ponderous style wasn’t best suited to a player whose greatest weapons lie in his pace and dribbling, while Chiesa hasn’t played in his preferred position on the wing as often as he would have liked and he’s had to deal with muscular problems that have disrupted his momentum.
A move to Liverpool – which incidentally makes him the seventh Italian to play for the Anfield club and the first since Mario Balotelli (congratulations if you can name the others) – could be just the reset that Chiesa needs at this time in his career. If, and it's admittedly a big if, he hits peak physical condition, the Premier League’s faster pace and Liverpool’s more attacking style could benefit Chiesa’s development as he approaches the peak of his career, with his 27th birthday coming up in October.
His versatility will be a great asset to Arne Slot, given he can play on either wing and has plenty of experience as a second striker. What’s more, the language barrier won’t be a problem. Chiesa already speaks very good English, thanks to his education at an English-speaking international school in Florence.
A return to England, the scene of his career high with that Wembley win three years ago, could be just what he needs to find that continent-conquering form once more.
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