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

Andoni Iraola has wasted no time showing where the new lines of power run at Liverpool.

Before a ball has even been kicked in Europe, Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been cut from his 2026-27 Champions League squad. Two established internationals, both under long contracts, both left watching from the outside as Liverpool prepare for Atletico Madrid on September 9.

Ruthless first call from Iraola

The decision is rooted in UEFA’s registration rules, but the message goes far beyond paperwork. Clubs are allowed a maximum of 17 non-locally trained players on List A. Iraola had to choose who truly belongs in his European core.

He chose £123 million signing Bradley Barcola. He chose fellow summer recruit Victor Munoz. He even chose injured forward Hugo Ekitike, whose contribution will be delayed by his fitness issues.

He did not choose Chiesa. He did not choose Endo.

Those are not marginal calls. Those are statements.

Carragher: “They’re never going to kick a ball”

Jamie Carragher did not bother dressing it up. Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender went straight for the heart of the issue: in his eyes, Chiesa and Endo are no longer part of Iraola’s real plans.

“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 reserved his sharpest criticism for the club’s handling of Endo.

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

That line cuts deep. The Japan international arrived to plug a gap, won admirers with his attitude, and yet now finds himself framed as a sentimental leftover in a squad being ruthlessly reshaped.

Numbers, contracts, and a shrinking role

On paper, both players look secure. Endo is tied to Liverpool until 2027. Chiesa’s deal runs even longer, to 2028. On the pitch, their reality is very different.

Endo’s influence faded badly last season. He was reduced to just eight Premier League appearances and only one Champions League outing. For a senior midfielder, that is not rotation. That is the edge of the picture.

Chiesa’s Liverpool story has barely had the chance to start. Fitness problems have stalked him from the moment he arrived. At 28, he should be in his prime, yet he remains on the fringes, currently sidelined with a muscle injury.

The club do not consider the latest setback long term. That makes Iraola’s call even more telling. He has chosen to register long-term absentees like Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni ahead of a forward who is closer to returning. That is not just about medical reports. That is about trust, profile, and where the manager sees his future attacking structure.

Europe moves on without them

Liverpool’s immediate focus is domestic. Ipswich Town visit Anfield on Friday, a dress rehearsal of sorts before the lights go up on the Champions League campaign.

Then comes Atletico Madrid on Merseyside, followed by a demanding league phase that sends Liverpool to Inter and Fenerbahce. It is a schedule that will test depth, resolve, and Iraola’s new ideas.

Chiesa and Endo will not be part of that journey, at least not at the start. Their horizon, for now, is limited to domestic cup competitions and whatever league minutes they can prise from a manager who has just publicly ranked his options.

UEFA rules do allow for squad alterations if a serious injury crisis hits later in the campaign. That is the thin crack in the door. But Liverpool are not building this European season around contingency plans for two players the manager has just left out.

For all the talk of contracts and loyalty, this is the hard edge of elite football. Iraola has drawn his Champions League circle. The question now is whether Chiesa and Endo ever find a way back inside it.