John Barnes REVEALS what 'amazed' him about Liverpool's Federico Chiesa transfer
Liverpool hero John Barnes has issued a verdict on Liverpool’s sole summer signing Federico Chiesa ahead of his debut for the Reds.
The Italian forward became Arne Slot’s first senior signing earlier this week, putting pen to paper on a four- year deal valued at an initial fee of £10m.
Speaking to talkSPORT on Friday morning, Barnes revealed his amazement at the sum spent by Liverpool to secure the services of the Italian.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard's verdict on Chiesa
“It is good business, fantastic business because he is not old, £10-12million” stated the ex- England international.
“Football amazes me. You hear people costing £80million, £90 million, and then you get someone like Chiesa for £10million, £12million or whatever it is. It’s a great signing for Liverpool, absolutely, because you saw him in the Euros, he is an exciting player.”
Joining from Juventus, Chiesa provides Slot’s side with extra personnel up top.
The winger netted 10 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions as his former side secured a respectable finish in the UEFA Champions League spots.
Whilst Chiesa remains a doubt for Sunday’s clash with Manchester United, having been left out of the Italian national team’s plans for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, it is likely the Italian will feature on the Kop after the international break.
No more arrivals for Liverpool on deadline day
Despite not making any further signings beyond Chiesa, the Anfield faithful can be pleased with the manner in which FSG have gone about their summer business.
Luring Chiesa from Juventus for a relatively small fee, as well as ensuring the future of key figures such as Joe Gomez and Caoimhin Kelleher, sets the tone for smart business in an otherwise quiet summer window.
Now the objective will be for Richard Hughes and his team to focus on tying down some of the club's key players on new long-term contracts.