Chiesa and Endo snubbed from Liverpool's Champions League squad despite £150k-a-week wages

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man UEFA Champions League squad, submitted ahead of the club’s competition opener against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday. The omissions are particularly striking given that three players still recovering from long-term injuries — Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni — have all been included ahead of them.

Chiesa, who earns a reported £150,000 a week after joining from Juventus for £10 million in 2024, has missed Liverpool’s first two Premier League fixtures with a lower back injury. Although he is expected to return at some point this month, manager Andoni Iraola has clearly decided the Italian winger does not yet figure in his first-team plans. Endo, meanwhile, has been an unused substitute in both league games so far this season.

The squad also features academy graduate James McConnell, who last played for the club two seasons ago and was linked with a summer exit, further underlining the message Iraola appears to be sending to the two senior players.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was blunt in his assessment before the squad was even announced. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: “Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play. They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball. Endo should have been moved on. He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”

Iraola has opted to include four goalkeepers in the 25-man list, an unusual decision that further restricted the available outfield spots.

Liverpool head into the Atletico Madrid game without a Premier League win to their name, having drawn 2-2 with Newcastle United on the opening day before sharing the same scoreline with Nottingham Forest at Anfield last weekend. Endo may get an opportunity to make his first appearance of the season when the Reds travel to Ipswich Town on Friday night, with the newly-promoted hosts having lost 5-2 to Manchester United in their most recent outing.