He’s starred as a cameo for Liverpool under Arne Slot
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Thomas Frank’s Tottenham were brought back to earth with a bump by Bournemouth after a very promising honeymoon, with Spurs’ remaining limitations plain for all to see despite a solid transfer window.
And while Brennan Johnson has enjoyed a positive overall start to the season, picking up where he left off following that Europa League-winning strike with two Premier League goals in three games, he had a hellish afternoon against the Cherries.
The Spurs faithful let him know too, vociferously cheering his substitution for Wilson Odobert and when Tottenham posted on Instagram that Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton had visited the team’s training facility, the top comment was ‘can he play left wing’?
Hamilton is one of the more versatile players in the NFL but specialises on the defensive side of the ball so Frank and Daniel Levy will need to keep searching, and the solution for Spurs could be a player who’s at least proved he can vanquish Bournemouth this season - Federico Chiesa.
Sidelined Chiesa retains the ability to shape Premier League
Liverpool signing Chiesa was one of the more bizarre deals of last summer but it’s turned out that was only the first chapter in the enigma of the Italian’s career at Anfield.
The impact of his decisive 88th-minute goal in the season opener against Bournemouth may have been seismic in terms of shaping the narrative around the start of Liverpool’s season, but it barely seems to have resonated with Arne Slot as Chiesa has played just 21 minutes since.
Worse still, he’s been left out of Liverpool’s squad for the start of the Champions League for 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who became the Reds’ youngest-ever scorer when he confidently hit the winner against Newcastle to keep Liverpool’s perfect start to 2025/26 going despite the hosts being the better side at St. James’ Park.
However, there’s a reason Liverpool jumped at the chance to make Chiesa their only signing of the 2024 summer transfer window. The 2023/24 season was only Chiesa’s third best in Serie A, yet he lit up Italy as one of the most dynamic players in the top flight and he’s shown in that player remains in flashes at Liverpool. According to Opta via FBRef.com, Chiesa averaged five shot-creating actions per game that campaign, placing in the top 2% of Serie A wingers with a tally similar to Martin Odegaard, James Maddison or Eberechi in the Premier League last season.
His progressive passes received and progressive carries production also ranked among the best in the league - both facets of the game that Tottenham struggled with against Bournemouth - and the data suggests he should’ve tripled his actual assist tally if Juventus’ other attackers had only packed their shooting boots more often. Chiesa’s own finishing was strong as he outperformed his expected goals tally by three, while all of his key passing metrics were off the charts too, measuring up against the very best creatives in England.
There are obviously reasons why his reputation took such a hit following Euro 2020 despite Chiesa continuing to put up such impressive numbers, including the dramatic drop off in his form for Italy. Having scored twice as the Azzurri were crowned kings of Europe, that semi-final strike against Spain remains his last goal at a major tournament and Chiesa’s failure to fire in World Cup qualifying contributed to Italy missing out on Qatar 2022.
But Chiesa remains a player who can contribute at the highest level and he’d certainly provide an antidote to Tottenham’s lack of proven creative options up front and Frank’s over-reliance on outstanding dribblers versus elite technicians. So can they tempt him from Liverpool?
Uphill battle for Chiesa’s signature not in vain
Liverpool were reportedly fielding offers for Chiesa this summer but the player steadfastly refused to leave Anfield, determined to fight for his place under Slot. Less than a week after the transfer window closed, it’s not idle speculation to wonder whether he’s already regretting that decision.
Slot’s comments on Chiesa following his intervention against Bournemouth were decidedly low-key especially given the overwhelming emotion surrounding the evening, with the Dutchman simply saying: “As long as he’s here, it’s definitely Liverpool and I have no reason to believe something is going to change. He had a hard time last season getting his fitness ready. Unfortunately for him he missed out on our Asian tour as well so he missed quite a lot. When we needed Federico at 2-2, we brought him in and he delivered and that’s always positive for your future at the club."
And if actions do speak louder than words, Slot’s subsequent decisions in Chiesa don’t exactly have to break any decibelometers to drown out those quotes, and it’s clear that he’s now at least third-choice on the left flank without even considering the possibility that Hugo Ekitike or Florian Wirtz could be deployed there out of position.
Given Chiesa’s injury history, a loan move in January may be better than Spurs going all-in on then 28-year-old who will still have over two years left on his contract. It would be an economical way to potentially ignite their attack and potentially save Chiesa’s career in a World Cup year and benefit Liverpool too, truly a win for all parties.