Iraola's Tough Decisions at Liverpool: Chiesa and Endo Left Out of Champions League Squad

Andoni Iraola has wasted no time drawing a hard line at Liverpool. Before a ball has even been kicked in Europe under his watch, two big names have been pushed to the margins.

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad for the 2026-27 campaign, a brutal early call from the new manager that underlines exactly where they sit in his plans.

Iraola’s first big call

Liverpool confirmed their List A registration ahead of their opener against Atletico Madrid on September 9. Chiesa and Endo are nowhere to be seen.

UEFA rules cap non-locally trained players at 17, and Iraola has spent those slots aggressively. Record signing Bradley Barcola, fellow summer arrival Victor Munoz and even injured forward Hugo Ekitike have all been registered. Chiesa and Endo have not.

It is not an accident. It is a statement.

Carragher: “They’re never going to play”

Jamie Carragher did not sugar-coat the situation when he spoke on The Overlap. The former Liverpool defender believes the pair are effectively passengers under Iraola.

“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 went further on Endo, questioning why the midfielder is still at the club.

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

The message is stark: sentiment counts for nothing in this new era.

Careers stalling on Merseyside

Both players are tied down long term – Endo until 2027, Chiesa until 2028 – but their Liverpool trajectories have stalled badly.

Endo’s role shrank dramatically last season. He featured just eight times in the Premier League and made a single Champions League appearance. From dependable option to fringe figure, the slide has been sharp.

Chiesa’s story has been even more frustrating. Fitness problems have repeatedly cut into his Anfield career, and at 28 he is again on the treatment table with a muscle injury. The current issue is not considered long term, yet that has not helped his case.

Iraola’s choices make that clear. Long-term absentees Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni have been registered ahead of a forward who is edging back towards fitness. For a player of Chiesa’s pedigree, that is a brutal reality check.

Europe closed, cups or bust

Liverpool face Ipswich Town in the league on Friday before turning to the Champions League and a demanding league-phase schedule that includes trips to Inter and Fenerbahce. Iraola will go into that run with his chosen core; Chiesa and Endo will watch it unfold from the outside.

For now, their horizon looks narrow: domestic cup ties, training-ground battles, and the faint hope of a door reopening. UEFA rules do allow for changes later in the campaign if injuries bite hard enough to force a rethink.

Until that happens, if it happens at all, two established internationals find their European ambitions parked while Liverpool’s new era accelerates without them.