"We have more than 20 players to choose from" – Arne Slot on whether Federico Chiesa will make Liverpool debut against Nottingham Forest
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has subtly played down suggestions that summer signing Federico Chiesa will make his debut for the Reds this Saturday (September 14).
Last month, the Merseyside outfit finalised a deal worth up to £12.5 million to rope in Chiesa from Serie A giants Juventus. They handed the Italian winger a four-year contract and offered him the number 14 jersey.
Ahead of Liverpool's Premier League home clash against Nottingham Forest, Slot was asked whether Chiesa will feature in his team's upcoming encounter. He told reporters (h/t Liverpool Echo):
"Chiesa has trained three or four times, so let's see how he does today because we have more than 20 players to choose from."
Queried if he is aiming to change his starting lineup, Slot responded:
"That is something I decide before every game. My former teams [Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar] played almost every game with the same players but this is a different league but it also depends on what they show."
Slot, who helped Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title in 2023, concluded:
"We've been really strong with one game every seven days and I assume they all want to play every game. So, they have to show up with quality and work rate but we also have more than 11 quality players, so we will use them but I cannot say now if not. I get feedback from staff on what the best thing to do is."
Chiesa, 26, relished a fine campaign for Juventus last time around, starting 29 of his 37 appearances across competitions. The UEFA Euro 2020 winner scored 10 goals and laid out three assists for his former club.
Liverpool were keen to sign new defender
According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool were interested in bolstering their centre-back depth before the end of the summer transfer window. They monitored a number of transfer targets earlier this summer.but failed to attract any of them in the end.
Liverpool, who have won all three of their Premier League games this season, currently have four senior centre-back options. While Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are considered the club's crucial starters, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah are deemed to be squad options.
The Reds, who are believed to be keen to sign a left-footed centre-back in the near future, roped in just two players earlier this summer. Apart from Federico Chiesa, they also signed Giorgi Mamardashvili in a potential £29 million deal before loaning him back to Valencia.