Chiesa seeks bigger Liverpool role as Iraola resets post‑Slot era

Federico Chiesa used Liverpool’s 4‑2 friendly win over Sunderland in Nashville to signal his ambition for a larger part at Anfield, declaring his happiness under new boss Andoni Iraola and framing the manager’s arrival as the reset needed after a frustrating spell under Arne Slot.

The friendly, staged in Nashville, saw Liverpool overturn Sunderland 4‑2, with Chiesa finding the net to cap a personal highlight he described as a positive sign.

“Right now, at the moment, I am happy here at Liverpool,” Chiesa 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.”

Under Arne Slot, Chiesa managed just nine starts in all competitions across two seasons and was used as a substitute 31 times last season, a spell he called “dribs and drabs”.

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The Italy forward arrived at Anfield from Juventus in August 2024 for a fee of £12.5 million, a transfer that has yet to translate into a regular starting place.

In Nashville he was deployed through the middle and even as a striker, a role he admitted is less familiar but one he is happy to embrace: “I have played my whole career as a winger but I am happy to play striker as well.”

Iraola’s philosophy demands high intensity, aggression and one‑v‑one duels across the pitch, qualities Chiesa believes he can provide when fit, and he warned that Liverpool’s recent fifth‑place finish was below the standards of a club that won the Premier League in 2024‑25, insisting “Liverpool deserves more” and that the squad must improve in the Champions League.

Internationally, Chiesa remains on 51 caps for Italy but has not featured since Euro 2024 because of fitness issues and injuries; he said he spoke to manager Gattuso last season, was not physically ready, and hopes to return to the national team after recovering from a March injury.