Arne Slot has his new Liverpool no.9 and he cost just £12.5m

Arne Slot could solve Liverpool's attacking problems with a bargain solution in the no.9 position.

Ever since the Dutchman was appointed as the club's head coach he hasn't really found his ideal solution as the Reds' true no.9.

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Slot has trialled multiple options. He's given Darwin Nunez a fair few chances, Diogo Jota has also played a lot of minutes when fit and Luis Diaz has often been called upon to play the role.

On rare occasions, Slot has even played Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as false nines to see how they do.

None of Slot's attempts have reaped their rewards so far. It feels like Slot is still very much unsure of who his first option is for the role.

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That's why Liverpool are ready to enter the market to sign a striker more tailored towards Slot's needs this summer. But for now, Slot needs to make do without further additions and the solution is staring directly at him.

Why Federico Chiesa will solve Liverpool's no.9 crisis

Since arriving at Anfield for £12.5m (Sky Sports) Chiesa hasn't really gotten the opportunities he deserves.

During the brief time he has spent on the pitch, Chiesa has averaged 0.93 goal contributions for Liverpool per 90 minutes. This puts him below only Mo Salah (1.32 per 90 minutes) as Liverpool's most productive player in front of goal this season.

You could see Chiesa's instincts in the final third against Newcastle at Wembley when the Italian buried the ball into the back of the net.

And he's showcasing that again in training ahead of Liverpool's crunch encounter with Everton.

In the video from training uploaded on Liverpool's social media and circulating widely online, Chiesa can be seen showcasing his brilliant finishing before someone shouting off the camera: 'Fede is a striker.'

It's not known who made those comments off the camera, but whoever it was has a very apt point.

Chiesa was brought in as a winger for Liverpool with the expectation being that he would provide cover for Salah on the right flank and potentially play on the left side as well.

However, the reality is that Chiesa has played a lot of his career in central positions.

While, Chiesa's played most of his games as a right winger (100), the second most position he has occupied in his career was as a second striker playing 69 games in the position.

For Juventus, towards the end of his time at the club, Chiesa was more of a second striker, but he also played the position at Fiorentina.

And he has experience as a forward as well playing 17 matches during his career in the position for Juventus and Fiorentina collectively.

He's averaged 0.52 goal contributions during those games, which isn't going to set the world alight, but it's not a bad option for Slot.

The reality is, Chiesa can offer something different and considering none of Slot's attempts have worked out so far, he might as well give the Italian a shot.

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In turn, Slot might just have a ready-made replacement for Nunez, who Hughes signed for an absolute bargain last summer in Chiesa.

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