Ex-Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole believes that Juventus winger Federico Chiesa would have been a “perfect” signing for the Reds.

The Italian international scored the winner against another of Cole’s former clubs, Chelsea, on Wednesday night and he feels the 23-year-old is someone who could have improved Jurgen Klopp’s squad:

“It was an indifferent summer for Liverpool. I was surprised they didn’t go out and bring in a superstar. Like what Sir Alex Ferguson used to do when they would win trophies. They’d go again and double down, they’d bring someone in who might sort of ruffle feathers. Someone like (Federico) Chiesa is an absolute perfect player from Juventus for Liverpool, the way he plays.”

Reports over the summer suggested that both Chelsea and Liverpool had €100m offers rejected by Juve for Chiesa, although it is not clear how accurate those claims were.

More respectable sources indicate that the Reds have kept an eye on the Italian since his days at Fiorentina but the player was more interested in staying in Italy, rather than moving abroad.

Considering Liverpool’s lack of spending over the last few transfer windows, it’s unlikely they would have had the funds to snap up Chiesa anyway and, while it is always nice to see the Reds strengthening their squad, the players that Jurgen Klopp currently has at his disposal are more than capable of challenging for the title.