Iraola's Bold Decision: Chiesa and Endo Left Out of Liverpool’s Champions League Squad

Andoni Iraola has wasted no time showing where the fault lines lie in his new Liverpool squad. His first Champions League list has landed, and two big names are on the outside looking in.

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man squad for the 2026-27 Champions League campaign, a ruthless early decision that underlines how sharply the landscape has shifted at Anfield.

Big names cut by the numbers

UEFA’s registration rules sit at the heart of the call. Clubs are allowed a maximum of 17 non-locally trained players on List A. Iraola chose to use those coveted slots on £123 million signing Bradley Barcola, fellow summer arrival Victor Munoz, and even injured forward Hugo Ekitike.

That squeeze left no room for Chiesa or Endo.

The timing makes it even more striking. Liverpool open their European campaign against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on September 9, yet two full internationals will be confined to the stands.

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

Jamie Carragher did not dress it up. Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender delivered a blunt verdict on where Chiesa and Endo now sit in the 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.”

His sharpest criticism was aimed at the decision to keep Endo this summer.

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

The message was clear: sentiment has no place in Iraola’s rebuild.

Endo’s role fades, Chiesa stuck on the fringes

The numbers back up the sense of drift. Endo’s influence had already faded last season. The Japan international managed just eight Premier League appearances and only one outing in the Champions League, a steep drop for a player once trusted to steady the midfield.

Chiesa’s story has been even more frustrating. Talent has never been the question; availability has. The 28-year-old’s time at Anfield has been repeatedly interrupted by fitness problems, and he is again sidelined with a muscle injury.

This latest setback is not considered long term, yet the decision to register long-term absentees like Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni ahead of a nearing-fitness Chiesa speaks volumes. In a tight European squad, Iraola has chosen players he sees as part of the future core, even if they are currently unavailable.

Both Chiesa and Endo remain tied to Liverpool for the long haul on paper, with contracts running until 2027 and 2028 respectively. On the pitch, their roles look anything but secure.

Domestic scraps while Europe moves on

For now, their horizons narrow. Without a Champions League place, Chiesa and Endo are effectively restricted to domestic duties, and even there the competition is fierce. The likeliest openings lie in the domestic cups, where rotation offers minutes to those on the fringes.

Liverpool face Ipswich Town on Friday before turning fully towards Europe. Atletico’s visit to Anfield will launch a demanding league-phase schedule that also sends Iraola’s side to Inter and Fenerbahce. The stakes are high, the margins thin, and the manager has made his calculation about who he trusts in that arena.

UEFA rules do allow for limited changes to the squad later in the campaign if injuries bite hard. Only a severe crisis is likely to open the door for Chiesa or Endo.

Until then, they watch. Iraola’s Liverpool is taking shape, and the question now is whether either of them will still be part of it when the next European list is drawn up.