Federico Chiesa for $13m (£10m/€12m): what's the catch? Liverpool fans could be forgiven for asking themselves this question as a transfer nears, and focus is inevitably turning to his injury record .
Liverpool, of course, has been burned before. It appeared to be getting a strikingly good deal for Thiago Alcantara , but injuries ultimately derailed his Anfield career, and the Reds cannot honestly say they ended up getting value for money.
Chiesa has not had anything like such a decorated career, but the price still seems strangely cheap for the Euro 2021 winner, who was considered one of the brightest prospects around when he showcased his talents to the world at that tournament. Sporting director Richard Hughes promised to be opportunistic this summer, and has taken advantage of a contract standoff to make the addition to Arne Slot's squad, but Liverpool will wonder whether that's the whole story.
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In particular, there is a great deal of scrutiny over the anterior cruciate ligament injury Chiesa suffered in January 2022. He missed around nine months of football after that, and the consensus at Juventus is that he was never the same player.
He still notched nine Serie A goals last season, while also recording some of the best underlying creative numbers in the division. But Liverpool must go into the deal with its eyes open over Chiesa's injury past.
An important question is whether that serious setback has made the 26-year-old more injury-prone in general. The answer is not especially clear-cut — there haven't been any further lengthy absences, but Transfermarkt records 12 fitness issues for Chiesa since returning from the ACL tear, most of which only resulted in one or two missed matches.
There's risk there, without a shadow of a doubt. So what has made Liverpool sign up for more potential injury frustration?
According to ESPN , there are two factors. Chiesa's "pedigree and versatility" have convinced Liverpool to plough ahead in spite of fitness fears.
In terms of pedigree, the logic seems fairly simple: a player of Chiesa's standing should not, ordinarily, be available for $13m. Asterisk it with injuries all you like, but Liverpool is only exposing itself to a fairly modest amount of risk, and the potential upside is significant.
As for versatility, that's an interesting aspect of the deal. It could make Chiesa a particularly valuable asset to Slot.
First and foremost, Chiesa will provide some long-overdue natural cover to Mohamed Salah on the right wing. But anyone competing against the Egyptian for minutes cannot hope to feature much, so it's to the Italian's advantage that he is able to fill in anywhere across the front line, and probably in the most advanced midfield position too.
Unlikely to be the first choice in any of these areas, Chiesa's function as a provider of flexible cover should also help to mitigate some of the injury fears. In theory, Liverpool will not need to rely on him, overburdening him with game time.
Whether that logic holds up in practice remains to be seen. But Liverpool is well aware of Chiesa's injury history, and has decided the deal is still worth doing.
Liverpool.com says: Liverpool has weighed up the risks, and that's all you can ask. Given the figures involved, it probably makes sense to roll the dice on Chiesa's injury record.
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