What Federico Chiesa did this summer that EXPLAINS why Arne Slot wants him at Liverpool

Liverpool have made a surprise move for Federico Chiesa during the final few days of the summer transfer window, and he could be an ideal acquisition for Arne Slot's side. 

There have been a few eyebrows raised amid Liverpool's interest in the Italian winger. Chiesa is a player Liverpool have admired for a long time. However, he is also a player who has been regarded as a shadow of his former self after suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury back in 2022.

Yet, despite the raised eyebrows, this could be a move that makes sense, for Liverpool and Chiesa could actually be an excellent fit to supplement Arne Slot's options in attack.

READ MORE: How Federico Chiesa is feeling about a move to Barcelona

Federico Chiesa's impressive numbers at Euro 2024

The Italian winger may have endured a disappointing summer at Euro 2024 with his side, crashing out of the tournament in the round of 16 but there will be have been one statistic that would have caught Liverpool's eye from Chiesa's performances.

The 26-year-old recorded a top-speed of 34.4km/h. This not only made Chiesa the fastest Italian player at the tournament, but it would have almost marginally made him the fastest Liverpool player as well.

Chiesa only lost out to that distinction by a fraction with Dominik Szoboszlai - who recorded Liverpool's fastest top-speed in the Premier League last season (36.76km/h) - beating the Italian with a top-speed of 34.5km/h, just 00.01km/h faster than Chiesa.

The reason this will have been flagged up by Liverpool's recruitment team is that there is a common misconception that Chiesa has gotten slower since his ACL injury. However, this could not be further from the truth.

UEFA European Football Championship - UEFA EURO, EM, Europameisterschaft,Fussball 2024 - Spain vs Italy Federico Chiesa of Italy during UEFA Euro 2024 - Spain vs Italy, UEFA European Football Championship in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, June 20 2024 Gelsenkirchen Germany PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxUK Copyright: xIPAxSport/ABACAx

In his first season back from injury during the 2022/23 campaign, only Victor Osimhen recorded a faster top-speed than Chiesa in Serie A as per Transfermarkt. Since coming back, his top-speed has been around the 36km/h mark, which would make him one of Liverpool's fastest players.

Considering, Slot wants speed from his attackers and directness, Chiesa would very much fit into his style of play at the club. Not to mention he's also a player who can make an impact in the final third.

Last season, no Juventus player averaged more shot-creating-actions (4.79) per 90) in the Serie A as per FBref. He ranked 5th overall for the metric out of players who played at least 24 90 minutes in the entire league.

Chiesa is excellent at breaking into the box, he can create chances for his teammates and he hasn't lost his speed either - despite a serious injury. To get him for just £12.7m would be an absolute bargain for Liverpool.

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