Omission comes as a big blow for the Italian after showing signs of progress at the start of this season
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa has been omitted from the club’s 22-man squad for the group phase of the Champions League.
The 27-year-old forward is the most high-profile absentee from Arne Slot’s list, after squad registration rules forced him out.
Uefa has restrictions on non-homegrown players. Clubs are only permitted to register 17 players who do not meet the criteria for homegrown, and Liverpool’s allocation is already full. As a result, the Reds named just 22 players instead of the maximum 25.
Interestingly, the final place that might have gone to Chiesa was instead taken by 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha. Although the winger joined from Chelsea’s academy only last year and does not count as homegrown, Liverpool opted to include him ahead of Chiesa, showing Slot’s desire to integrate the teenager into his first-team plans.
The omission comes as a big blow for Chiesa. The Italian has shown signs of progress at the start of this season after an underwhelming first season at the club, notably scoring a late winner against Bournemouth on the opening weekend to rescue three points for the champions.
The Italy international has shown his determination to prove himself under Slot this season, turning down interest from Serie A clubs over the summer for an Anfield stay, according to people close to the club.
Chiesa will now be restricted to domestic football until at least the new year, when Uefa rules allow clubs to make changes to their squad lists ahead of the knockout rounds.
