Micah Richards says Liverpool have a player with ‘electric pace’ who is about to light up the Premier League

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Liverpool are heading into the first international break of the season in exceptionally fine shape.

The Reds have recorded three wins from their first three Premier League games of the campaign with a squad who are looking incredibly sharp.

Eagle-eyed pundits and supporters have noticed some clear differences between Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot in terms of how Liverpool are setting themselves up.

However, what has still remained the same is that the Liverpool squad is packed with fast players who can hurt you with their pace.

With the likes of Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai already to call upon, Micah Richards has suggested that the Reds might now have a player who’s quicker than the lot.

Micah Richards praises Federico Chiesa

Ahead of Sunday’s resounding win over Manchester United, the focus for Liverpool had been on their miserable transfer window.

Despite the depth of the first-team squad already, it was clear that Slot could have done with one or two new faces in key positions.

Nevertheless, the head coach and the recruitment team did get one new face through the door, and what a good piece of business it was.

Liverpool scooped up Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a bargain fee on the penultimate day of the transfer window. And speaking to The Rest Is Football about that signing, Richards says that Chiesa’s ‘electric pace’ could make him perfectly suited to the Premier League.

“The only thing why I think it’s such a great buy, is one, the money they paid for him, £12.5m,” says the former Man City defender.

READ MORE: Paulo Di Canio sends Federico Chiesa a warning after he completes Liverpool move

“Not only can he play on the left wing, he can play on the right wing. You could play him in a wing-back system, you can play him at right-back if need be. He’s so versatile and he’s got electric pace.

“I think at times having watched Serie A, the game was a little bit closed. I think in the Premier League because the game is stretched he’ll have more space,” Richards adds.

“We’re judging him recently off international football and playing in Serie A where defenders love to defend and it’s all about the tactics. Over here it’s all about the passion and the speed and the power. I think it suits him.

“I think he’s going to be the signing of the transfer window, in terms of you’re not spending £50m for him. Two or three seasons ago he was worth £100m!”

Where will Federico Chiesa play for Liverpool?

Chiesa is certainly a versatile player. The 26-year-old has played in all manner of positions for Juventus and Fiorentina throughout his career so far.

However, we think that may be put to an end a little at Liverpool.

Although Klopp was famed for wanting versatile players in his squad, those who could fill in across several positions, Slot initially seems to be keen to have the opposite of that.

The Dutchman seemingly wants a clear starter and a clear back-up across all eleven positions on the pitch. As a result, it seems fairly simple that, for now at least, Chiesa is Salah’s understudy on the right wing.

There may be times when the Italian fills in on the left, but initially we’d expect to see Chiesa come in for Salah on the right whenever Slot feels it’s necessary.