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After netting his first Premier League goal on Friday, Federico Chiesa has voiced his intention to remain at Liverpool.
The Italian winger struggled for game time in a debut season marred by injuries, sparking rumors of an early departure from Anfield. Chiesa clocked just 104 minutes in the league last season after becoming the first player signed by Arne Slot to make his debut for the club.
He failed to score during that time, but found the back of the net in the Carabao Cup final and in an FA Cup victory over Accrington Stanley. The summer exits of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have created a vacancy on the left flank, with speculation over Alexander Isak joining from Newcastle.
Cody Gakpo was given the nod for the Premier League opener against Bournemouth, with Florian Wirtz shifting left when Gakpo moved centrally following the substitution of starting striker Hugo Ekitike.
When Bournemouth equalized, Slot called upon Chiesa, introducing him in place of record signing Wirtz with eight minutes remaining.
It took him just five minutes to put Liverpool back in front, calmly volleying home amid chaos in the visitors' box, with Mohamed Salah adding a late fourth for Liverpool in injury time.
Despite interest from Napoli in January, Chiesa chose to stay at Anfield, and there have been whispers that renewed interest from Serie A could tempt him away this summer.
However, reports from Europe suggest that the player and his agent have made it clear to Liverpool's top brass that he has no intention of leaving - a shift from his stance earlier in the transfer window.
"As long as he is here it [his future] is definitely at Liverpool and I have no reason to believe it is going to change," Slot said after Friday's win. "The fans sung for him so many times last season, and it is very nice for him to give them something in return."
Chiesa himself spoke of the support from the home crowd leading up to his goal, saying: "Above all, at Anfield it seems like in the second half when you attack towards the Kop, it feels like the ball wants to go inside the net."
It's not just Slot who has been pleased to see Chiesa reap the rewards of a year of patience. The 27-year-old is popular in the dressing room and received praise from his teammates after Friday's win.
"He works so hard, he's a great character, we all love him," captain Virgil van Dijk said. "Very pleased for him.
"Especially on a night like this where there are so many things in everyone's mind (after the tributes to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva), because I can't escape that. I'm pleased for him, pleased for the team."
"For Federico today coming from the bench, he's a special player for us who is there training every day," goalkeeper Alisson said of Chiesa. "Everybody knows his situation was not that easy in the summer, but he kept working hard and today he gets the reward for scoring the winner for us."
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