Federico Chiesa is set to join Liverpool after the Reds agreed a fee for the Juventus winger, who is now travelling to the UK for his medical.
Giorgi Mamardashvili aside, Chiesa should become Liverpool’s first summer signing with the clubs reportedly settling on a fee lower than initially reported.
After early claims that he could be available for €15 million (£12.7m), the Times‘ Paul Joyce now reports that it will be an up-front fee of £10 million with a further £2.5 million in add-ons.
Chiesa is now on his way to Merseyside with The Athletic‘s David Ornstein revealing that “personal terms [are] in place on a four-year contract.”
A medical will take place later on Wednesday and possibly into Thursday, with the deal likely to be announced soon after.
What Chiesa can bring to Liverpool
While Chiesa perhaps isn’t a ‘marquee’ signing, he will provide much-needed cover for Mo Salah on the right, meaning Liverpool will now have a backup for each of their front three positions.
At 26 years old, the Italian has plenty of time left on the clock and the only thing moderating fans’ excitement over the player’s talents is his injury record.
Transfermarkt indicates he has suffered 22 different injuries in total, with the worst being a cruciate ligament tear that kept him out of 45 matches over 269 days in the 2021/22 season.
That ACL injury led to several knock-on issues; having suffered only five injuries in the three seasons prior to the 2021/22 campaign, missing just 16 games, he has since had 17 injury issues in three seasons since and missed 84 games.
However, there have been positive signs in recent times, with the games he has missed gradually decreasing since 2022.
While he may have lost some of his lightning pace that was so evident in his standout Euro 2020 campaign, there is no doubting Chiesa’s talent on the ball.
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He has consistently proved himself an exceptional dribbler in recent years and could be a great option when Salah needs a rest.
Over the last 365 days, he has managed 4.57 progressive carries per 90 minutes, say FBRef.
This puts him in the top one percent of dribblers among comparable players in Europe’s top five leagues.
He also ranks highly with regard to progressive passes, which are deemed as completed open-play passes in the attacking two-thirds of the pitch that move the ball at least 25 percent closer to the goal.
In that respect, he has completed 9.05 per 90 minutes over the last year, placing him in the 91st percentile of comparable players in Europe’s top five leagues.
That all sound like a lot to comprehend? Basically, it translates to him being a direct winger who drives towards goal and is very positive on the ball.
Should the transfer get over the line, he would be an excellent addition to the squad if he can stay fit.
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