There was once a time when complaints would arrive over £8m deals for relegated fullbacks at Anfield. Now, those days are looked back on with such fondness. Liverpool didn’t spend big, they spent wisely, and when they did spend big, it was to welcome players like Virgil van Dijk.
Richard Hughes arrived with new ambition in 2024, however, and after appointing what turned out to be a Premier League-winning manager just one year in, he earned access to FSG’s hefty investment – the kind never seen before at Anfield.
And so, Hughes went on a shopping spree that Liverpool are arguably still recovering from.
Why Hughes exit is good news for Liverpool
On his extravagant shopping trip, Hughes stopped in Germany to spend £116m on Florian Wirtz. The German was one of the most wanted players in Europe, but the Liverpool sporting director won the bidding war in impressive fashion. He, and everyone else at Anfield, thought he’d won a gem.
Then it was all about countless trips to Newcastle, where he found a striking striker and a spare £125m to send PIF’s way and eventually welcome Alexander Isak.
In between that, Hughes also added Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike with Wirtz and brought Milos Kerkez with him from Bournemouth. It was one of the biggest windows in Premier League history and, just over 12 months on, arguably one of the most wasteful.
|
Fee (add ons included) |
Year |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Alexander Isak |
£125m |
2025 |
|
Bradley Barcola |
£123m |
2026 |
|
Florian Wirtz |
£116m |
2025 |
|
Virgil van Dijk |
£75m |
2018 |
|
Hugo Ekitike |
£69m |
2025 |
This didn’t look like a window centred around data, picking out the most suitable candidate. This was a window in which an overzealous holiday goer couldn’t help but grab the most expensive souvenir in each shop even if it didn’t fit in his suitcase.
The facts are as follows. Isak spent most of his first season sidelined and there remain question marks over his ability to lead a press.
Wirtz is at the centre of Anfield frustration and has not lived up to his price. Frimpong and Kerkez have become Liverpool’s biggest problems, whilst Ekitike is the man Liverpool desperately need back from injury.
Hughes, meanwhile, spent all of the summer just gone searching for a winger, waiting until deadline day to get just day and failing to address other issues in the process. He’s since left for Saudi Arabia, much to the annoyance of those at Anfield.
But out of all those failings, one of his very first signings remains the worst of the lot.
Why Liverpool need to finally offload Hughes’ worst signing
If there’s anyone that fans wanted to work out at Liverpool, it is Federico Chiesa.
When he scored the winning goal against Bournemouth at the start of last season, and his song echoed around the Kop, it felt like the start of a turnaround. Arne Slot quickly cancelled that comeback tour, however.
Chiesa when joining: “I’m so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, ‘Do you want to join Liverpool?’ – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans.”
Fans blamed the Dutchman. How could he not give Chiesa what they believed was a fair shot? This was a failing side and the Italian at least completed the work off the ball to earn a place.
Since then, Slot has been sacked and replaced by Andoni Iraola. Chiesa’s work rate should be a match made in heaven. After all, it’s why young Lewis Koumas has earned his way into the Spaniard’s squad this season.
It’s not that simple for Chiesa, though. In pre-season, he remained slow despite his efforts. He remained short on confidence, and he remained a weak point in Liverpool’s frontline.
Injury has since made things worse and Koumas’ emergence, alongside the arrival of Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola, means that Liverpool simply have to part ways with Chiesa.
His passion and that song can paint a different picture, but the reality is that the former Juventus man has scored just five goals in 50 appearances. That, no matter how catchy the Kop’s tune may be, is not good enough.
|
Premier League stats per 90 |
Victor Munoz |
Federico Chiesa 25/26 |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
241 |
318 |
|
Distance covered |
10.7km |
16.3km |
|
Goals |
0.37 |
0.57 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0.28 |
The numbers show that Chiesa does cover distance well, but is ineffective when in the positions created because of that distance covered. As much as it rouses the Kop, it will not change results for Iraola. When January arrives, he must send the Italian packing.
The new season is only six games old, and yet Chiesa’s fate, amid this new-look frontline, appears to have been sealed.
