Iraola’s First Big Call at Liverpool: Chiesa and Endo Excluded
Andoni Iraola has wasted no time showing where the new lines of power run at Liverpool.
Before a ball is kicked in Europe, he has cut Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo from his 2026-27 Champions League squad, a decision that slices through sentiment and reputation in one go.
Iraola’s first big call
Liverpool’s 25-man List A for Europe is in, submitted ahead of their opener against Atletico Madrid on September 9. Chiesa and Endo are nowhere to be seen.
UEFA rules allow only 17 non-locally trained players in that main squad. Those spots are gold dust. Iraola has chosen to spend them on £123 million signing Bradley Barcola, fellow summer arrival Victor Munoz, and even injured forward Hugo Ekitike.
Chiesa and Endo don’t make the cut. Not even as injury cover.
It is a brutal early marker from the new manager. Not just about who plays now, but who he believes will shape Liverpool’s future.
Carragher: “They’re never going to kick a ball”
Jamie Carragher didn’t bother dressing it up.
Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender delivered a harsh verdict on where Chiesa and Endo now sit in the Anfield pecking order.
“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.”
The criticism sharpened when he turned to Endo, who stayed at the club this summer despite sliding down the order in midfield.
“Endo should have been moved on,” Carragher added. “He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”
That “cult hero” tag now feels like a full stop rather than a comma in his Liverpool story.
Marginalised at Anfield
Both players are still tied down long term. Endo’s deal runs to 2027, Chiesa’s to 2028. On paper, they are part of the project. On the pitch, the evidence tells a different story.
Endo’s role shrank dramatically last season: just eight Premier League appearances and a single Champions League outing. From trusted option to emergency cover in the space of a year.
Chiesa has barely been able to build any rhythm. Fitness issues have stalked his time on Merseyside. At 28, he should be in his prime. Instead, he is again sidelined with a muscle injury and watching others overtake him.
The current problem is not considered long-term, but Iraola’s choices cut deeper than any medical report. Long-term absentees Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni have been registered for Europe. Chiesa, who is edging back towards fitness, has not.
That is not just a numbers game. It is a clear signal of status.
Europe moves on without them
Liverpool face Ipswich Town on Friday in the league before the lights go up at Anfield for Atletico Madrid’s visit. That game launches a demanding league phase campaign, with daunting away trips to Inter and Fenerbahce lying in wait.
Chiesa and Endo will not be part of that journey unless something drastic happens.
Their short-term horizon is narrow: domestic cup ties, training-ground battles, and the faint hope that injuries elsewhere might open a door. UEFA regulations do allow squad alterations later in the competition in the event of serious injuries.
Right now, though, their European ambitions are boxed up and stored away.
Iraola has drawn his Champions League map. The question is whether Chiesa and Endo are simply taking a detour, or whether this is the moment their Liverpool careers start to fade into the background.
