‘To be honest’ – Djibril Cisse stunned at how good ‘really clever’ Liverpool signing has been
Liverpool flexed their financial muscles in the summer transfer window, and only a few of their additions have made a decent start.
The Reds spent a whopping £446million on new signings, including Florian Wirtz, who has struggled to hit the ground running at Anfield despite arriving with huge promise.
Wirtz is yet to score or assist in the Premier League, and the same can be said for record-signing Alexander Isak.
The Swedish international is still getting to grips with Arne Slot’s system, with his only goal coming in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win over Southampton.
Isak and Wirtz will eventually showcase why nine figures were paid to land them, while one of their teammates has already proven worth his weight in gold.
Djibril Cisse surprised at how good Hugo Ekitike has been
Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m at the end of July, and the Frenchman has undoubtedly been their most successful addition so far.
The 23-year-old has taken to English football like a duck to water with five goals in 10 appearances across all competitions, with former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse admitting he’s shocked at how well he’s done.
When asked what he would bring to the team, Cisse told Get Football News: “He brings goals [laughs]. He can score goals. He showed it in Germany, and he’s shown it at Liverpool when he arrived.
“I was a little scared that he wasn’t going to play much, but I was wrong. He’s playing, he’s doing good, he’s scoring goals.
“He’s bringing different options to Mo Salah and Alexander Isak. He’s a really good player. I know him from France. I knew he had the quality to perform, but to be honest, I wasn’t expecting him to be that good, that quick.”
Ekitike’s underlying numbers at Liverpool
Ekitike would have feared the worst when he watched Isak shoot through the door, as his minutes were expected to be reduced.
But the striker has started five of their seven Premier League games, and he may return to the lineup when Liverpool face Manchester United this weekend.
| Hugo Ekitike’s numbers Premier League 2025/26 |
| 6 appearances |
| 3 goals |
| 1 assist |
| 1.7 shots per game |
| 30% goal conversion |
| 1.8 balls recovered per game |
| 1.7 successful dribbles per game (63%) |
Isak was chosen to lead the line when Chelsea beat the Reds before the international break, and the 25-year-old grabbed his first Premier League goal involvement for the club, assisting Cody Gakpo.
Now he’s set for an intense battle with the ‘really clever’ Ekitike for the central striker role, and as it stands, the Frenchman has shown he has what it takes to push him all the way.