Perfect fit! Why Liverpool signed Chiesa after a serious injury

Liverpool's £12.5m signing of Chiesa came as a surprise to fans, but the new No.14 has the potential to become one of the club's most successful transfers of the modern era.

It’s very much a matter of looking at what’s possible in the short term rather than developing a long-term plan to get us working towards that goal.

This may be the reason why Chiesa was chosen instead of Zubimendy this time.

The former's release clause gives the club the opportunity to bring in a player of his quality at a reasonable price. In this difficult market to navigate, he represents real value.

Yoro is another opportunistic target. It is difficult to find a player like him who can be sold at such a high price in the market.

Initially, reports suggested he was worth around £40m. He eventually left Lille for £52m (plus £8m in add-ons) and United needed to throw money at him to convince him that Old Trafford was the best destination for his development.

Liverpool wanted to react to the transfer market. This approach paid off at the end of the transfer window when they signed Federico Chiesa for an initial fee of £10 million.

The decision to bring him to Anfield was classic opportunism. The Reds waited until the final days of the transfer window to make their decision. They knew Juventus wanted to sell him and they were willing to accept a relatively cheap fee in order to recoup some money from the Italy international.

Some people think that the line between opportunistic signings and panic buying is blurred. Some people think Chiesa belongs to the latter category, because Liverpool still has considerable strength in the offensive end, and the all-round striker has been labeled as injury-prone during his career. This seems to be an unreasonable signing.

But the more you look at the deal, the more it seems like a visionary move.

Perfect silhouette

Liverpool had specific requirements for their attackers when Michael Edwards first arrived. Jota, Mane and Salah all had similar stats before moving to Anfield.

The trio has scalable output capabilities.

First, their goal threat is sustainable. They don't rely too much on quantity to get chances, but at the same time, they are used to having a considerable number of shot attempts.

Their average expected goals scored is between 0.32 and 0.39. This highlights the fact that they are not taking low-value efforts.

For all three players, it was a case of getting closer to goal, which, in theory, is what a more dominant team like Liverpool would expect. And that is exactly what happened.

The Reds got out of that mess after signing Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo. All three players had a torrid time scoring goals in their former clubs and it would be difficult to replicate those numbers without tweaking the team.

All three have had some success at Anfield, but not as polished as Jota, Salah and Mane, are they?

In the few seasons that Chiesa played for Juventus, he played more than 2,000 minutes in Serie A. Chiesa averaged 0.32 goals per 90 minutes, while his number of shots per 90 minutes was only 2.7.

That’s an encouraging average, especially when you consider that it’s a sample of 4,500 minutes across Europe’s top five leagues.

This looks even better when you consider that he has been playing for a somewhat inconsistent Juve side, with last season being his first real return to regular matches following his ACL injury. The signs are clearly positive.

In his first four seasons with Fiorentina, Chiesa took almost 50% of his shots from outside the box. He was a prolific attacker, but he didn't take the most efficient shots.

However, in four seasons in Turin, that figure has dropped to 34%.

Even though his shot location has changed, it's still very different. At Fiorentina, he averaged 33% of his shots with his weaker left foot. At Juventus, that number was 30%.

His shot has a hint of Jota. He shoots early and is confident with both feet, which adds unpredictability to his game. It also opens up a lot of options for Sloter.

More than just a replacement for Salah

Chiesa spent a lot of time on Fiorentina's right wing in his early years.

When he's deployed on that side of the court, he's kind of like a backwards winger. He'll take on opponents on the perimeter.

That's because, unlike many wingers in the current game, the former Fiorentina man is both a goal threat and a creator.

On the Juventus right, you can see Chiesa trying to get past two Napoli players at this stage of the game. He could pass back to the holding midfielder, but he sees space to attack so he moves through the gears and around those trying to close him down.

After successfully getting rid of it, he attacked the space in the penalty area and then passed the ball into the goal.

That's where his ability as a right winger comes in. That versatility is invaluable to Liverpool.

He can be seen as a substitute for Salah. He can replace the legendary Egyptian in the last 20 minutes of the cup. His arrival can extend Salah's career in the Reds (provided that Salah renews his contract first).

He also spent a lot of time on the left side of Juve, so he is also a reasonable rotation for Diaz. They also have similarities. Chiesa is an explosive ball carrier who can use his speed to pass the opponent, and he can easily transfer from the left to the middle.

In the screenshot above, Chiesa, who plays for Italy, drops back in his own half to collect the ball. He dribbles the ball into a central area, which opens up a variety of options for the center forward who is making a quick run.

Finally, his pass (indicated by the red arrow in the screenshot) gave the Italian striker a one-on-one opportunity with the opponent's goalkeeper. All this was because of Chiesa.

He had other options. He could have passed the ball to his teammate on his right, who could have also run into the box. He could have held onto the ball before shooting.

Diaz's finishing is often criticized, and Chiesa, while not always perfect, seems to be able to do it better. He can shoot with his left foot, which helps him become a dual threat.

In this example, he slows the tempo down. The opposing defender is in a good position. If he wants to go outside, they have help, and if he wants to go inside, they have protection in the middle of the field.

Chiesa shifted his weight so that he could hit a left-foot cross into the box, giving Italy the lead. The opponents clearly had not expected this and were unable to react.

Who benefits from this kind of play? Liverpool's forwards, always keeping an eye on Nunez's movement. This also suits Szoboszlai.

Solutions to many problems

So Chiesa is an option on the right, but also on the left, although Liverpool have Dias, Gakpo, Jota and even Nunez who can play in this position.

He is also an option in the central striker position, especially as Liverpool are looking for a player similar to their No.20 (Jota).

He is an excellent finisher who can also pick to pass the ball. His defensive work is not in the spotlight, and he has a knack for putting his body in the right position to kick the ball out and cause opponents to turn the ball over.

Of course, all of this is still theoretical right now, but Chiesa has the potential to be not only one of the signings of the summer, but one of the best signings in the club's history.

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