Liverpool’s failures stem from the Rodgers era

Has the ship already sailed? Will it happen to Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa?

A forgotten man last season, the Italian winger has once again been rather unlucky this week, failing to use Mohamed Salah’s situation to his advantage.

Indeed, even if the Egyptian was unable to take part in the trip to San Siro, Chiesa was unable to pounce on the potential vacancy on the right flank, as he was forced to miss the match against Inter Milan due to illness.

Halfway through his second season at Anfield, the former Juventus man, who was signed for a whopping £13 million, remains confined to the periphery, making just 29 appearances in all competitions.

Remarkable moments such as the decisive ‘win’ against Bournemouth on the opening day have seen the 28-year-old secure cult hero status on Merseyside, but the jury is out on whether he can truly emerge from the shadows.

Latest information on Federico Chiesa’s future

In fact, the Reds achieved Premier League glory last season without being affected by a new contract, but Chiesa, the only senior signing of the summer, was restricted to just six league appearances all season.

Although he was often overlooked in the slot in the 2024/25 season, this time his increased influence has kept his place in the attacking pecking order, with all 10 of his appearances in the top flight coming off the bench.

Chiesa, who was the one who stepped in to stop Wilson Isidore from signing a potential winner for Sunderland a while ago, has the will to do well, especially with options not necessarily plentiful in the wide.

That said, while Slott is downplaying the former Fiorentina star, it appears he has other ideas, including the winger’s limited game time, with recent reports suggesting a January departure is still being discussed.

The Athletic reports that the Euro 2020 hero is said to have “many fans” as the winter season approaches, but is also said to pose a potential “risk” if Liverpool let him leave, given Liverpool’s relative lack of attacking options.

However, there were reports last month that Chiesa’s agent was in talks over a possible move, with hopes of forcing his return to Italy’s plans ahead of March’s World Cup qualifiers, and Chiesa himself may want to press ahead with a move if his results do not improve.

Given his lack of form over the past 18 months, it’s no wonder he wants to leave, and Liverpool will probably reflect on the wisdom of making such a deal.

However, Chiesa is not the only one in that department…

Liverpool’s meaningless contracts are from the Rodgers era

As harsh as it may be, given Chiesa’s minimal impact, one would have to conclude that the signing of Chiesa was largely pointless, with Slott having little desire to cede a regular role to the injury-hit forward.

Rightly or wrongly, the word that comes to mind when it comes to this summer’s hottest player, Alexander Isak, may be “pointless.” After a disappointing performance, the Swede is likely to be in a bad mood again against Inter.

With just 25 touches, the only shot on target and 68 minutes to go, the ex-Newcastle United man’s excuses for not taking part in pre-season are starting to wear off, and once again he was largely on the sidelines as the match progressed at the San Siro.

The 26-year-old, who scored just two goals in all competitions for his new club following his controversial move from St James’ Park, is already in disaster territory and Slott and co need radical improvement for 2026.

Depth is needed, but given that they have already plucked Newcastle target Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, there is a sense that this was a really necessary move for FSG.

While Isak has struggled, the young Frenchman has been in a dazzling form, already scoring eight goals in just 22 appearances, confirming his belief that he should be the starting striker.

As for Liverpool’s actual No. 9, Isak seems to be following in the footsteps of some notable transfer failures from the Brendan Rodgers era, reflecting a post-Luis Suarez world where the likes of Ricky Lambert, Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke were all duped at Anfield.

The summer of 2014 was particularly bad after Rodgers’ near-miss at winning the title, with the centre-forward pair of Lambert and Balotelli ultimately managing to score just seven goals during their unforgettable short stay on Merseyside.

Perhaps a better comparison is Benteke, who was signed a year later and, like Newcastle’s Isak, the Belgian has looked prolific in the Premier League for Aston Villa, scoring 49 goals in 101 games for the Midlands side.

Only 10 of 42 follow Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp.

It may be too early to fire Isak and throw him into the trio of disastrous Rodgers contracts just yet, but on current evidence he looks like the Benteke of 2015.

I hope Ekitike can become Roberto Firmino…