Andoni Iraola drops major Liverpool transfer hint as official announcement made

Updated: 4 Sept 2026 16:19 BST | 4 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

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Andoni Iraola has hinted that Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo will become the first two players to leave Liverpool during the January transfer window after excluding the duo from the club’s squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

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Chiesa and Endo were both heavily linked with Anfield exits during the summer transfer window, but they were unable to secure moves away from Merseyside and exits in January could now be on the cards.

Current ETV

Federico Chiesa

F (CR)

Liverpool

Federico Chiesa

F (CR)

Liverpool

ETV Range

€11.4M - €14M

Chiesa is now behind Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Victor Munoz in the pecking order at Liverpool, while Endo has been an unused substitute in both of the Reds’ Premier League fixtures and also appears to be out of favour under Iraola.

It is the second consecutive season in which Chiesa has been omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad, although an ACL injury suffered by Giovanni Leoni saw him drafted in as a replacement last year.

The Italy forward has been tipped to return to Serie A for several transfer windows in a row and he now looks more likely than ever to leave in 2027 following this latest snub. Endo could also be sold by Liverpool in January, although the uncertain long-term future of Alexis Mac Allister may complicate his situation further.

Andoni Iraola ‘very happy’ with Liverpool’s transfer window

“I’m very happy with all the signings we’ve made,” Iraola admitted during his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Ipswich Town on Friday evening.

“I know the next question: ‘Do you want more signings in other positions?’ At the end the club has decided those signings we have done are the ones that improved our team and our position.

“There were other options we decided not to take, for different reasons: sometimes it is sporting reasons because they don’t improve what you have, sometimes it is economical reasons as it didn’t make sense in terms of the market to do those movements. But I’m happy now I know what we have, I have a lot of quality in the team and now it is the moment for us, for the players, for me to develop what we have."

© IMAGO - Jeremy Jacquet was one of Liverpool's summer signings

Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are among the stars currently sidelined through injury at Anfield, but Iraola remains confident in the squad at his disposal.

The Reds boss added: “The club has decided not to sign someone because we need them for these two or three months and instead trust the players we have, us working with the players we have and thinking of the long term.

“Yes, as a manager you need the players for today but if they [the club] explain to you the vision and the long-term project, you also have to understand the club.

“Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to pay crazy money – the market was the market – for players who maybe in the long term you don’t need. Then you will need this money to solve other problems in that position. Sometimes it’s better to look a little bit further than the next game and the next month.”