Federico Chiesa's Liverpool Future in Jeopardy Under Iraola

Federico Chiesa will sit down with Andoni Iraola in the coming days, but all signs point in one direction: the exit door at Anfield.

The Italy international has never truly settled on Merseyside. His second season brought more minutes, more involvement around the squad, but not the kind of stage a 28‑year‑old forward expects when he should be at the height of his powers. One Premier League start last season tells its own story. For a player of his pedigree, that statistic is damning.

Peak Years, Limited Chances

Chiesa wants what every attacking player in his prime demands: rhythm, responsibility, and a run of games that allows him to impose himself on a season rather than drift on the edges of it.

Instead, he has watched too many league matches from the bench, or not at all, while Liverpool’s established attacking core have continued to shoulder the load. The change in the dugout, with Iraola replacing the previous regime, briefly cracked open a door that had looked firmly shut. New managers reset hierarchies. They reassess, they experiment, they give fresh looks to those who struggled before.

But there is no guarantee that a new philosophy means a new role for Chiesa. At this stage, there is not even a hint of certainty that Iraola will build around him.

The winger has already made it clear that conversations with the new head coach will shape his decision. He wants clarity. He wants to know if this is finally his moment at Liverpool, or just another season on the fringes.

Romano: Expectation Points to a Summer Exit

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has laid out the current mood around Chiesa’s situation. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he underlined what the player himself has already admitted publicly: he needs to play more, and he knows it.

“Today Federico Chiesa spoke in Italy and said I want to play on a more consistent basis. So, the expectation is for Federico Chiesa to leave Liverpool this summer,” Romano said.

“That’s the expectation, that’s the plan.

“Then he said ‘I want to go on tour to the US, speak to the new manager, Andoni Iraola, to understand my situation. But I want to play, I need to play.’”

Those words cut straight to the heart of the issue. This is not a player angling for a marginal pay rise or a minor role tweak. This is a forward who sees his career clock ticking and knows that another season of bit-part football could cost him far more than a transfer fee ever will.

US Tour: Last Chance or Farewell Lap?

Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States now looms as a pivotal moment. For Iraola, it is a live laboratory: a chance to test ideas, combinations, and characters away from the intensity of the Premier League. For Chiesa, it may be his final audition.

On tour, there will be nowhere to hide. Iraola will see his work rate, his tactical discipline, his chemistry with teammates in real time. If the new manager likes what he sees and offers genuine assurances over playing time, the story could yet twist. Chiesa has left the door open to staying, but only if that pathway to regular football is real, not theoretical.

Romano, though, has sounded a warning for those hoping for a late turnaround. According to him, the people closest to Chiesa still believe the most realistic scenario is a departure.

“Federico Chiesa could have opportunities to leave Liverpool and the expectation of those close to the player is that he could really leave after being close to leaving in January.

“Now could be the moment to say goodbye to Liverpool.”

That line is telling. Chiesa already came close to moving in January. The frustration is not new; it has been simmering for months. The difference now is that a managerial change gives everyone a natural pause before the final decision.

A Career at a Crossroads

If Iraola cannot map out a clear route to regular starts, it is hard to see Chiesa accepting another season as a supporting act. At 28, he is past the stage of being a project and firmly in the category of finished article. Players at that age do not want promises. They want a place in the team sheet.

So the next few weeks will define his Liverpool chapter. Either the US tour sparks a revival and convinces Iraola that Chiesa can be a central figure in the new era, or it becomes the staging ground for his farewell.

For Liverpool, it is a question of fit. For Chiesa, it is a question of career survival at the top level.

If the answers he hears in those talks are not strong enough, he already knows what he must do.