“If he stays fit, he’s one hell of a player" - Pundit claims one Liverpool star 'hasn’t been able to show his true qualities' at the club

Pundit Roberto Di Matteo has backed Federico Chiesa to shine at Liverpool this season if given the opportunity. He believes that the Italian forward can perform well at the Merseyside club if he manages to stay fit.

Chiesa joined the Reds last summer from Juventus for a reported £10 million. However, the 27-year-old played a peripheral role in Liverpool's league title win as a muscle injury sidelined him for most of the first half of the season. He managed just 14 appearances across competitions and six in the league, contributing two goals and two assists.

With Liverpool bolstering their forward line with the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt and showing keen interest in Alexander Isak, Chiesa was expected to depart Anfield in the summer. Despite multiple interests from clubs in the Serie A, the Italian decided to stay put in England.

The former Juventus man turned heads when he came off the bench to score versus Bournemouth, propelling Arne Slot's side to a 4-2 win in their opening league game of the campaign. Interestingly, Chiesa was subsequently left out of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League squad list, further raising questions about his place in Slot's plan.

However, Di Matteo believes that the Italian has a lot to offer the Reds and will show his true qualities if he stays fit and gets the opportunity to prove himself. While speaking on BetVictor Online Casino (via GOAL), the former Chelsea manager was asked if a move away from Anfield would have been best for Chiesa.

He said:

"It’s a very good question. I’m not sure how much he knew that he was going to be out of the squad. I think that depended on [Alexander] Isak’s signing. The fact that they signed him last minute cost him the position in the squad.

“He had plenty of suitors in Serie A. I think there are two or three clubs that would have loved to have signed him. Maybe he wants to stick around at Liverpool and prove a point."

Di Matteo continued:

"If he stays fit, he’s one hell of a player. I know him very well. He just hasn’t been able to show his true qualities. Let’s not forget that Liverpool did pretty well last season - they had a settled team, [Luis] Diaz and [Mohamed] Salah on the sides. It wasn’t easy to break into that team."

“He showed glimpses of what he can do. But there are so many games, he’s not in the Champions League squad but he might get more Premier League time. It’s just a shame that we don’t see more of him because he’s a quality player," he concluded.

Chiesa was away for 73 days last season and missed 14 games. He has featured in Liverpool's four league games this season, coming off the bench in all and playing a total of 47 minutes.

Liverpool's perfect start to the 2025-26 season

Arne Slot's side have begun the season in flying form and are the only team in the Premier League with a 100 percent record so far. The Reds have won all four of their league games, scoring nine times and conceding four. They sit atop the league standings with 12 points, three points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

Liverpool's perfect start to the season was nearly brought to a halt last weekend against newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor. Scott Parker's side held tight until a late Mohammned Salah penalty (90+5') delivered a 1-0 win for the visitors.

The reigning league champions will look to continue their fine form in the UEFA Champions League when they host Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, September 17. Three days later, they will then trade tackles with Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.