Chiesa Excluded from Champions League Squad as Liverpool Trim Roster

Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool story has taken another unwelcome twist. The Italian winger has been left out of Andoni Iraola’s Champions League squad for the upcoming league phase, a decision that underlines both the ruthlessness and the depth inside the Anfield dressing room.

Chiesa is not alone. Wataru Endo has also been omitted as Iraola finalised his European list, trimming a reshaped squad to fit UEFA registration limits. Big names were always going to miss out. Chiesa is one of them.

For the 26-year-old, it stings in a familiar way. He went through the same ordeal last season, initially overlooked for the Champions League group before only clawing his way back into the picture when compatriot Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious long‑term injury. Opportunity came not by design, but by misfortune elsewhere.

There was a hint of promise back in September 2024. Chiesa finally made his Liverpool bow in Europe, stepping off the bench in Italy after his £10m move, a cameo that looked like the first step towards a regular role on the continent. That door has slammed shut again.

The call from Iraola lays bare the scale of competition at Liverpool after an aggressive squad rebuild. Every spot on the European roster carries weight. Balance between positions, homegrown quotas, tactical flexibility – all of it counts. Some established internationals were always going to be squeezed out.

Endo’s omission alongside Chiesa underlines that this is not about reputation but about fit and priorities. Liverpool will now lean on the rest of their midfield and attacking options to carry them through a punishing Champions League schedule.

For Chiesa, the message is clear. Europe is on hold. His season now runs through domestic competitions and the daily grind of training at Kirkby, where he must convince Iraola that he cannot be ignored when the list is revisited.

Liverpool’s calendar offers little breathing space. League battles, domestic cups, and, looming large on the horizon, a marquee Champions League clash with Inter on January 19. An Italian giant, a stage Chiesa knows intimately – and one he is currently locked out of.

Last year, an injury elsewhere cracked the door open for him. If the campaign takes a similar twist, will he be ready to force it wide this time, or will this season mark another missed European chapter in a career that was built for nights like those?