Federico Chiesa: Liverpool's Goal Involvement King

Arne Slot's sole signing for 2024/25 hasn't played much. Federico Chiesa has been impacting Liverpool games more than anyone else though.

Published on February 19 2025. Data correct prior to Liverpool’s match at Aston Villa that day.

Mohamed Salah can outdo anyone. Roberto Firmino scored 27 goals and set up a further 17 in 2017/18. It should be talked about as one of the great campaigns by a Liverpool player, yet is rarely mentioned. Salah was scoring 44 and assisting 14 at the same time to exceed the expectations of even the data team who had convinced Jürgen Klopp to sign the Egyptian over Julian Brandt. Sorry, Bobby.

If Firmino stood no chance of taking the spotlight seven years ago, things have only got worse for his successors. Only 14 players in world football are averaging more combined goals and assists per 90 minutes than Cody Gakpo this season, per FBRef. Those ahead of him include men who represent Altrincham, Başakşehir and Volendam, there are only seven from the big five leagues.

So, what is Salah doing? He is outperforming his first Liverpool season at 32 years old. He’s the same age as Muhammad Ali was for the Rumble in the Jungle, showing the young pretenders who’s the boss in similar fashion. There’s elite, then there’s Salah. Sorry, Cody.

Liverpool’s sole summer addition to their 2024/25 squad has not fared so well. Federico Chiesa’s hopes of a strong first year with the Reds have been hampered by no pre-season build up, several minor injuries and having the man who should be the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner standing in his way.

Anyone would find that tough. All a player can do is contribute when given an opportunity, which in fairness to Chiesa, he has largely done. Again, when providing a goal or assist every other game makes you the least productive of your club’s six forwards, it shows what the standards are. Most other Premier League teams would kill to have a sixth choice option with that record.

It takes more to fashion a goal than putting the ball in the net or passing to the player who does so, though. The possession sequence leading to a team scoring might last, say, 34 passes, as it did when Luis Díaz scored his first Liverpool goal in a match against Norwich. That’s a lot of involvements which needed to occur.

Wherefore art thou, Divock? Origi was the only player not involved in this goal

When it comes to this type of contribution, Arne Slot has had few better players on a pro-rata basis than Chiesa this season. The Italian international is also the owner of a goal involvement statistic not even the illustrious number 11 can match. Only Salah? Only Chiesa.