Luis Diaz, Wataru Endo react to Liverpool message to new star Hugo Ekitike
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Wataru Endo reacted to a message from the club to their new star signing Hugo Ekitike.
The Frenchman was a target for Newcastle this summer, who had a €70million (£61m) offer for the striker rejected [The Athletic], and Man United showed a late interest in the 23-year-old.
However, Liverpool won the race for Ekitike, taking the reigning Premier League champions’ spending over £260m [transfermarkt] just three weeks into the window.
Despite winning the title last season, the Reds have wasted no time in reshaping Arne Slot‘s side.
Liverpool have signed Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and Florian Wirtz, effectively dealing with positions of need before they become an issue.
Hugo Ekitike greets new Liverpool teammates
Ahead of their pre-season friendly against AC Milan in Singapore, Liverpool trained in front of a crowd, and introduced Ekitike to his new teammates.
The Reds shared images of the 23-year-old greeting players like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and manager Slot.
Liverpool posted the shots on Instagram, captioned: “Welcome, Hugo”, and the post was liked by new teammates Diaz and Endo.
Liverpool unlikely to pursue Alexander Isak
Football Insider Verdict
Alexander Isak is seemingly angling for an exit from Newcastle this summer, after interest from several of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
However, despite their liberal spending, it is difficult to see Liverpool shelling out £120m plus after spending a significant fee on Ekitike.
When Newcastle first showed interest in the French striker, their angle was as a player to pair with Isak, rather than a replacement.
But at Liverpool, their set-up does not seem to cater for such an aggressive set-up.
Hypothetically, their line-up would be a 4-2-4 with Salah on the right, Wirtz on the left, with Isak and Ekitike up top.
As fun as that sounds, Kerkez and Frimpong are rampaging wing-backs who want to be on the ball, high up the pitch, and a two-up-top system would be horrendously imbalanced.