Iraola's Bold Decisions at Liverpool: Chiesa and Endo Left Out

Andoni Iraola has wasted no time drawing his battle lines at Liverpool.

Barely weeks into his reign, the new manager has made a call that cuts deep through the hierarchy of the dressing room: Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad for the 2026-27 campaign.

Two established internationals. Two big names. No European football.

Ruthless clarity from Iraola

The decision is not a whim. It is rooted in UEFA’s unforgiving registration rules, which cap non-locally trained players on List A at 17. Within that tight frame, every slot becomes a statement of priority.

Iraola has chosen to spend those places on £123 million signing Bradley Barcola, fellow summer recruit Victor Munoz, and even injured forward Hugo Ekitike. The message is unmistakable: the future of this Liverpool side lies elsewhere.

Chiesa and Endo do not make the cut. Not even as cover.

Their absence comes with Liverpool’s opening Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid at Anfield looming on September 9, a night when the club traditionally parades its full strength. This time, two senior pros will be watching from afar.

Carragher’s blunt verdict

Jamie Carragher did not dress it up.

Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender delivered a stark verdict on where Chiesa and Endo now sit in the pecking order under Iraola.

“Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” he said. “And there are all these quotas, you can only have 17 players and all that. They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball.”

Carragher then turned his focus on the club’s summer decision-making, particularly around Endo.

“Endo should have been moved on,” he added. “He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”

It was praise, but with a full stop rather than a comma. The implication was clear: the story, in his eyes, should already have ended.

Two careers drifting to the margins

On paper, both players are locked in for the long term. Endo is tied down until 2027, Chiesa until 2028. On the pitch, their influence has been fading fast.

Endo’s role shrank dramatically last season. Eight Premier League appearances. One outing in the Champions League. For a player once trusted to steady the midfield, those numbers tell their own tale.

Chiesa’s struggle has been more physical than tactical. His Liverpool stay has been shredded by injuries, with rhythm and continuity constantly slipping from his grasp. At 28, he should be at his peak. Instead, he is nursing yet another muscle problem and watching others overtake him.

The current injury is not considered long term, but that almost makes Iraola’s stance more striking. Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, both long-term absentees, have been registered for Europe ahead of a winger who is edging back toward fitness. It underlines just how far Chiesa has slid from the inner circle.

Europe closes its doors

For now, the Champions League is off-limits.

Unless Liverpool suffer a severe injury crisis that forces a reshuffle within UEFA’s permitted rules, Chiesa and Endo will not feature on the continent this season. Their work, at least in the short term, lies elsewhere.

Domestic cup competitions. Odd league minutes. The spaces where managers test their depth and fringe players fight to be noticed.

Liverpool’s schedule offers little respite. Iraola’s side face Ipswich Town on Friday in the league, then turn straight into the glare of European nights, starting with Atletico at Anfield and followed by demanding trips to Inter and Fenerbahce in the new league phase.

These are the stages Chiesa and Endo expected to inhabit when they signed. Instead, they stand at a crossroads, watching a new Liverpool take shape without them, and knowing that the next move in their careers may not be theirs to dictate.