Liverpool star sends message to Iraola: Play me or I’m leaving!

6 Jun 2026 12:57 BST | 5 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has walked into Anfield with a string of problems to solve as a major rebuild begins this summer.

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The challenges immediately facing the former Bournemouth boss are not inconsiderable. He finds himself walking into a club that is losing its talisman in Mohamed Salah and is also seeing senior pros Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate depart as free agents.

With work to be done in the midfield and a need for the defence to be bolstered, Iraola has now been told by Federico Chiesa that he is prepared to leave the club if he is not given first-team football.

Current ETV

Federico Chiesa

F (CR)

Liverpool

Federico Chiesa

F (CR)

Liverpool

ETV Range

€15.7M - €19.2M

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Juventus star said: “I want to get back to being a key player, but to do that I need to play more than a thousand minutes a season for my club. Playing so little, I won't get anywhere.”

Chiesa: If I can’t find playing time here, I’ll look elsewhere

Chiesa was linked with a move back to Italy in January, when Juve were tracking him, but while the player wanted to go, the door was shut on his departure by Arne Slot.

“Liverpool had told me about the talks, but then the negotiations with Juve didn't come to fruition,” he said.

“In January, the club and Slot told me I couldn't leave; they needed me, partly for numerical reasons. We were in a tight spot. I understood the situation and I was left smiling. Liverpool is always talked about; last year they helped me win the Premier League. And yet...”

Not that the Italy international star holds any grudges against the Reds.

“I have a great relationship with Liverpool,” he said. “I've had little consistency with the Reds, but I'm ready to fight for a spot anywhere.

“I repeat: I want to play. If I don't find consistency in the Premier League, I'll have to look elsewhere. I barely played in my first year at Liverpool, and in the last one, very little. I'll go on a training camp in the US, then I'll talk to the club and the new manager, Iraola, and we'll see.”

© IMAGO - Federico Chiesa: Liverpool star demands game time

Interest from Serie A continues to be significant in Chiesa, who has been linked with Como but would love to return to Juventus.

“I'm open to anything; the important thing is to play. I'm not so presumptuous as to say: I have to be a starter. I'm ready to fight for a place, anywhere. Fabregas is a top coach; no one would have ever imagined Como like this: a beautiful team to watch,” he said.

“Juventus is always in my heart, and I'd like to return. I've never discussed money with Juve, and I never will.”

Will Chiesa get a chance under Iraola?

Chiesa has three things going in his favour ahead of pre-season with Iraola.

The first of these is Italy’s absence from the World Cup. Where many of his teammates are set to be fatigued from the competition, the 28-year-old has a summer off to get fit and in peak condition for the start of summer training.

His versatility will also be an asset. Capable of playing across the forward line, he can be used in multiple roles. Unfortunately for him, competition is fierce, particularly with the emergence of Rio Ngumoha in his preferred position on the right of midfield. The teenager promises to be a major obstacle.

Finally, he has the type of attitude that Iraola will appreciate, working with a strong intensity in and out of possession.

These factors should mean he gets a chance in the early pre-season friendlies to lay down a marker, with these games more important to Chiesa than perhaps any other Liverpool player.

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