Iraola Backs Ekitike for Champions League as Chiesa and Endo Left Out

Andoni Iraola has made his first big European call of the season at Liverpool. It is bold, ruthless, and says plenty about where this squad is heading.

Hugo Ekitike, still working his way back from a ruptured Achilles, has been named in Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad. Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have not.

That is the headline. The subtext runs much deeper.

A Bet on Recovery – and on Ekitike

Ekitike has not kicked a ball for Liverpool since April, when his season was torn apart by that Achilles injury. Surgery went well, the club say, and he is now grinding through the long, lonely road of rehab.

Liverpool have deliberately refused to pin a date on his return. On September 3, the club’s official channels stressed there is “no timeframe” for the French striker’s comeback. No promises. No countdown.

Iraola’s decision cuts through that caution.

By placing Ekitike on the Champions League list, the Liverpool manager is effectively making his own prediction: that the 22-year-old will be ready to contribute in the League Phase, which runs through to late January. Liverpool’s final game in that stage comes against RC Lens at Anfield on January 27. His inclusion points directly at that horizon.

It is a manager’s show of faith. Not in vague potential, but in a player he clearly expects to have back in the fold when the European campaign starts to tighten.

For a forward returning from a major tendon injury, that is a powerful message. You’re part of this. We’re waiting for you.

Chiesa Left Out Despite Imminent Return

On the other side of the decision sits Federico Chiesa.

The Italian winger is currently sidelined, but not long-term. He is expected to return to training after the September international break. Under normal circumstances, that kind of injury profile almost guarantees a Champions League squad place. You absorb the short-term absence and enjoy the player for the bulk of the group phase.

Iraola has gone the other way.

Leaving Chiesa out of the 25-man list suggests his standing in the hierarchy has slipped sharply. This is not about a season-ending problem or a mystery knock. It is a call on importance, influence, and trust.

Once fit, Chiesa will be fighting for minutes purely in domestic competitions, and even those may be limited. The message is hard to misinterpret: he is no longer central to the project.

Endo on the Outside Looking In

If Chiesa can point to injury, Wataru Endo cannot.

The Japan international is fit, available, and training. He is simply not wanted in Europe by this manager.

Endo’s omission underlines a reality that has been looming over his Liverpool career for months. Iraola does not see him as part of his Champions League core, and the numbers game has pushed him out. With only 25 slots and foreign-player quotas to juggle, someone always pays the price. This time, Endo is at the front of the queue.

It is a brutal outcome for a player who, at one point, built a small cult following at Anfield with his effort and attitude. Those qualities have not changed. The level of competition around him has.

His chances of meaningful involvement in the Premier League and domestic cups now look thin. When a senior midfielder cannot make the European squad, the writing usually appears on the wall.

Carragher’s Warning Echoes Loudly

Jamie Carragher saw this coming.

Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender did not bother with diplomacy. “Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” he said, naming Chiesa and Endo directly. He pointed to the restrictions on non-homegrown numbers and argued that Endo, in particular, should already have been moved on, even while praising his contribution and cult status.

At the time, it sounded harsh. Now, it sounds prophetic.

Iraola’s Champions League list has turned Carragher’s assessment from opinion into something close to a statement of fact. Two senior internationals, both sidelined for Europe, both staring at a season of scraps.

A Manager’s Ruthless Blueprint

This is what elite squad management looks like when sentiment is stripped away.

Ekitike, injured but seen as part of Liverpool’s future, gets a seat at the European table. Chiesa, expected back in training within weeks, does not. Endo, healthy and willing, is left to watch the Champions League nights from afar.

It is ruthless. It is calculated. And it tells you exactly where Iraola believes this team is heading – and who he thinks can go with it.