Liverpool have signed Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a fee of £12.5million ($16.5m). The 26-year-old joins them on a four-year contract.
Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League moves in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all deals will be rated, as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).
Below is our assessment of Chiesa’s switch to Anfield.
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Tactical fit — 67/100
A look at how the player fits into his new club tactically, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke tactical-fit model, explained by our tactical expert.
Federico Chiesa addresses an important requirement for Liverpool, who have needed someone to be the backup for Mohamed Salah on their right wing for some time.
They have tried numerous players in that position when Salah has been injured or away on international duty, with only limited success. Within their current squad, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota have played there, but are much more comfortable coming in from the left side, while Harvey Elliott’s best moments have come in midfield because of his lack of pace. Chiesa, who is right-footed but boasts equally good close control with his left, is a solid addition in this regard, especially at the fee Liverpool are paying.
The Italy international enjoyed a solid first full season since an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) knee injury in January 2022 sidelined him for 10 months, scoring nine times in 33 Serie A appearances (25 starts). It is worth noting, though, that most of his minutes in 2023-24 came in the middle of the pitch, where he either partnered or played instead of Dusan Vlahovic, rather than on the flanks.
Chiesa did, however, drift wide frequently in the final months of the season, and while this resulted in him scoring just three goals in Juventus’ final 16 league games from February on, he did give glimpses of the explosive dribbling that first brought him acclaim.
The stats below indicate he was a threat creatively with the ball at his feet.
Although Chiesa ended the campaign with just two Serie A assists, he recorded an expected assisted goals (xAG) figure of 6.2, which suggests he created decent opportunities for his team-mates.
This was also evident at the European Championship this summer, where he predominantly played on the right.
In the clip below from the opening group game against Albania, he receives a pass right on the touchline and controls it well before beating a man to cut inside, opening up space for Italy against a scrambling defence. Unfortunately, Chiesa’s final pass is overhit, but the move overall provides an idea of how he can create openings when he’s on the ball.
Chiesa should be an interesting fit within Arne Slot’s system.
While the new Liverpool head coach prefers his wingers to cut inside, he did often encourage them to beat players in one-versus-one situations, get to the byline and cut the ball back into dangerous areas during his time at previous club Feyenoord in the Netherlands. Chiesa, fast enough to beat most opponents in a foot race, provides a different profile to Salah, who has prioritised scoring and passing over dribbling in recent years, and adds unpredictability to Liverpool’s attack.
There are a few concerns, though.
Chiesa has never been a consistent goalscorer in senior football and can be an erratic shooter (only 33.8 per cent accuracy on 3.0 shots per 90 minutes in the league last season). At times, he also struggles to follow tactical instructions and is fairly limited defensively.
There’s also the issue that a player viewed and utilised as a star by both Juventus and previous club Fiorentina will likely have to settle for a bit-part role (at least initially) at Liverpool. How he responds to that might be crucial for both his own success at Anfield and the dressing-room dynamic.
All things considered, this is an opportunistic move by Liverpool which makes plenty of tactical sense and has high upside potential, despite those mitigating factors.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Season rating: 72/100
Rating the player over the course of last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team.
Chiesa enjoyed a decent season: the second-best of his nine-year career in terms of Serie A goals with nine, plus two assists. He got off to a great start, scoring in four of Juventus’ first five league games, but then his goal contributions in the Italian top flight fell away before scoring in their final two matches.
Despite his campaign being occasionally disrupted by minor injuries, Chiesa delivered moments of quality that helped Juventus secure Champions League football by finishing third, 23 points behind title winners Inter Milan. He also scored the opening goal in their Coppa Italia semi-final win against Lazio in April (3-2 on aggregate), with the Turin side going on to beat Atalanta 1-0 in the final.
Gillian Kasirye
Gaming rating: 80/100
Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability.
Data from Football Manager’s extensive scouting network indicates Chiesa has the qualities to be a starter for most teams in the Premier League.
His current ability rating on FM24 stands at 156 out of 200, which ranks him just ahead of new team-mates Gakpo and Jota on 153 and 155, respectively. However, he trails both Luis Diaz (162) and the man he will likely compete with for a starting berth in Salah (181).
As he is in the middle of his peak years at age 26, Chiesa is expected to improve with time in the Premier League, with FM24 allotting him a potential ability rating of 165. This is quite close to Gakpo on 164 and Jota on 166 and not too far behind Diaz’s 172. Salah, still going strong at 32 years old, is some distance clear of them all on 187.
Overall, FM’s ratings reiterate the thought that Chiesa is a solid addition to Slot’s attacking arsenal.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Financial value rating: 78/100
A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club
Market value — 20/25
A deal of £12.5million appears to be great value for a player who moved to Juventus from Fiorentina in a transfer worth up to £54m four years ago. Turning 27 in October, Chiesa still has much to give as a player and there is hope this could prove to be a bargain signing, but his injury struggles have considerably affected his market value.
Squad cost — 21/25
Chiesa provides essential cover for Salah on the right wing, bringing a level of experience and pedigree to the position that Liverpool do not currently have. And the relatively low fee should not affect the club’s ability to move for a defensive midfield player in the future, a position they have targeted since the departure of Fabinho last summer.
Contract sensibility — 21/25
Chiesa will be 30 when his four-year deal expires, which should ensure his prime years are spent at Anfield. It also offers them the protection of a break after he enters his thirties, should his productivity or troubling injury record show signs of decline.
Resale value — 16/25
As mentioned, Chiesa will turn 30 as a Liverpool player, provided he stays for the duration of his contract, after which his value would typically decline significantly. However, given the relatively small fee they are paying Juventus for his services, Chiesa’s value could increase again in the coming years should he prove his fitness and quality in the Premier League.
Elias Burke
Risk or reward? 77/100
Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.
The big question surrounding this transfer will be Chiesa’s injury history, after he suffered an ACL tear in January 2022.
He was playing again before the end of the calendar year, had a stop-start second half of the 2022-23 season as he got back up to speed after that long lay-off, before missing only six games due to injuries across all competitions in the last one.
There seems to be some belief Chiesa has put his injury troubles behind him. He is also unlikely to regularly start matches if all of Liverpool’s five other forwards are fit, which should alleviate those concerns a little more.
The fee Liverpool are paying seems like a bargain but is also fairly accurate for a player who is in his prime years and has a point to prove.
This move also gives the club some breathing space in terms of succession planning with Salah into the final year of his contract, though Chiesa is not a like-for-like replacement.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Overall rating: 374/500
(Photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
