A "world-class" Liverpool player and his agent have now made a big decision regarding his future at Anfield, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Ben Doak leaves Liverpool as FSG ramp up sales
While this summer has seen so much focus on new signings for the Reds, it has also been a busy period of outgoing transfers, with a host of players moving on and more to come. Trent Alexander-Arnold got the ball rolling, while the likes of Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have followed, and now Ben Doak has completed a £25m move to Bournemouth, as FSG plot more spending in line with PSR.
Ben Doak in action for Scotland
The Scot has spoken of his happiness at moving to a new club, with regular playing time a big reason for his decision to move on from Liverpool, with the Reds struggling to promise him a key role.
"I’m buzzing to be here. I feel like it’s the right time for me and it’s a great opportunity to play regular football at the highest level. It feels like the perfect fit. The team play very nice football. It’s fast and it really suits my game, so I felt like I couldn’t say no to the chance to play here."
With Doak's future sorted, it's now a case of refining the squad while making sure Arne Slot has the necessary depth to compete on four fronts.
Liverpool's hero vs Bournemouth wants Anfield stay
According to Romano on X, Federico Chiesa and his agent have "informed" Richard Hughes and Co that he wants to stay put, in a big twist after being widely expected to depart this summer.
The £150,000-a-week Chiesa is such a popular player at Liverpool, with his positive attitude and love for the game rubbing off on the fans and his teammates.
For that reason, retaining the services of the Italian makes complete sense if he can stay fit, especially with Doak's exit further weakening the squad depth in the wide areas.
Chiesa is far more than just a cult figure in the squad however, with Alessandro Pierini once describing him as "world-class" during Euro 2020, and his vital goal at home to Bournemouth last week showing what an important player he can be for Liverpool.
Granted, his time at Anfield has been a disappointment overall to date, but fitness issues have hampered him in that time, and he could be an invaluable squad player if his availability improves.
As the Bournemouth game showed, Chiesa has the potential to be a superb impact substitute for Liverpool, possessing pace, technique and end product, and to sell him now would be a big mistake by the Premier League champions.