Iraola’s First Champions League Squad at Liverpool: Key Exclusions

Andoni Iraola has wasted no time drawing hard lines at Liverpool. His first Champions League squad tells the story.

Iraola’s First Big Call

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man List A for the 2026-27 Champions League campaign, a brutal early verdict on their status under the new manager.

The squad, submitted ahead of Liverpool’s European opener against Atletico Madrid on September 9, stays within UEFA’s limit of 17 non-locally trained players. That cap has bitten hard. Iraola has chosen to use those slots 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 at all.

Numbers, Rules – and Ruthlessness

The decision is framed by regulation, but it is driven by preference. With only 17 places available for non-homegrown players, every name is a statement.

Barcola, the marquee signing, was never in doubt. Munoz, another fresh face, also goes straight in. Ekitike, sidelined but still registered, underlines where Iraola sees long-term value. Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, both long-term absentees, are also included ahead of a nearly-fit Chiesa.

Chiesa and Endo? On the outside looking in.

Carragher’s Blunt Verdict

Jamie Carragher didn’t bother softening the blow. Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender laid bare what this means for the pair.

“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.”

He went further on Endo, questioning why the club kept him at all this summer.

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

It was a cold assessment of two full internationals still under contract until 2027 (Endo) and 2028 (Chiesa).

Two Careers Stalled

The numbers back up the sense of drift.

Endo’s influence faded sharply last season. He managed just eight Premier League appearances and only a single outing in the Champions League. From reliable option to fringe figure in a year.

Chiesa’s Liverpool story has never really got going. Fitness issues have stalked his time at Anfield, and the 28-year-old is again sidelined with a muscle problem. This one is not thought to be long-term, yet even that offers little comfort. When a manager registers long-term absentees like Bradley and Leoni ahead of you, the message is unmistakable.

You’re not part of the plan.

Europe Moves On Without Them

Liverpool’s schedule doesn’t pause for bruised egos. Iraola’s side face Ipswich Town on Friday in the league, then turn straight into a demanding Champions League league phase.

Atletico Madrid come to Anfield first. Trips to Inter and Fenerbahce loom after that. It is the kind of run that defines seasons and cements hierarchies within a squad.

Chiesa and Endo will watch it unfold from the fringes, their European hopes effectively frozen until UEFA’s rules allow a mid-campaign change in the event of a serious injury elsewhere.

For now, their stage shrinks to domestic cup ties and whatever league minutes they can salvage. The question is no longer whether Iraola rates them for Europe.

It’s whether either of them still has a future at Liverpool at all.