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'There have been too many fresh starts' – Chiesa wants to stay at Liverpool

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Federico Chiesa is not currently looking to leave Liverpool, acknowledging he may have already pursued "too many fresh starts" as he looks to earn regular minutes under Andoni Iraola.

Chiesa joined the Reds from Juventus in a £12.5m (€15m) deal in August 2024, though he has been restricted to a limited role since his arrival at Anfield.

The Italian only made 14 appearances – 10 of which were as a substitute – in 2024-25 as Liverpool won the Premier League title in their first season under Arne Slot, scoring two goals and assisting one.

He played 36 times in 2025-26, with injuries affecting the debut Liverpool campaigns of fellow attackers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, but 31 of those outings came off the bench.

In 726 minutes of action last term, Chiesa scored three goals and supplied three assists, though he did net as a substitute as Liverpool began their first pre-season campaign under Iraola with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland on Saturday.

Having previously suffered an anterior cruciate ligament in 2022, Chiesa has not started 30 games in a season (across all competitions) since 2020-21 (36 starts for Juventus).

He had been linked with a return to Serie A, but for now, he is keen to see if he can establish himself in Iraola's plans. 

"Right now, at the moment, I am happy here at Liverpool," Chiesa told reporters after Saturday's friendly in Nashville.

"I love the club, I love the fans, I love everything. I am doing the best I can to have a chance here and then we will see. 

"At the minute, the only thing I am thinking about is Liverpool. It is always a fresh start at the beginning of the year. 

"Maybe there have been too many fresh starts, but I don't care. I am trying to do my best for this new manager. 

"Last year I also felt ready to play a bigger role, but then it depended on whether the coach wanted me to play or not.

"The gaffer had his gameplans, he took his decisions, I have nothing to say about that.

"This year, let us say it is a new chapter. There is a new manager, and I have to focus on that."

In all competitions, Chiesa has only reached 10 goals in one of his last five seasons, having previously hit double figures in three straight campaigns between 2018-19 and 2020-21, for Fiorentina and Juventus.

Liverpool's next pre-season friendly sees them face Wrexham at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, before they take on Leeds United in Chicago next weekend.