‘Unforgettable’ – Hugo Ekitike sends inspiring message after Liverpool debut
Hugo Ekitike has issued an emotive statement after he played his first game in a Liverpool shirt in pre-season.
After many back-and-forths, the Reds have finally got their hands on Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ekitike for a reported £79million (Sky Sports).
The Frenchman leaves Germany touted as one of the up and coming best strikers in world football now.
He bagged a career-best 15 goals and eight assists in the Bundesliga last year and will be looking to kick on at his new club.
The 23-year-old could also be joined by Newcastle’s Alexander Isak after the Swede “reached a verbal agreement in principle” with Liverpool over a contract running until 2031, according to Florian Plettenberg (30 July).
Anfield’s faithful should have high expectations for the new campaign as Sporting Director Richard Hughes has been hard at work foritfying the squad with more stellar additions.
Hugo Ekitike ‘proud’ to play for Liverpool
Taking to Instagram stories (30 July), the former Stade Reims forward reposted a picture of himself from his debut for his new club, captioned: Proud [to] wear this shirt for the first time!
“Unforgettable.”
The number 54 completed a half of football in the Reds’ 3-1 victory over Yokohama FM, later replaced by Darwin Nunez.
Ekitike tipped to build Liverpool legacy
Football Insider verdict
In recent times, Liverpool haven’t needed to count on a goal hungry striker thanks to the sheer brilliance of Mohammed Salah and other wide players.
The centre-forward role has always been to pull defenders around, creating space for wingers to run in behind.
Roberto Firmino epitomised this role under Jurgen Klopp, yet Ekitike could be part of a new development by Arne Slot for the position.
With the acquisitions of flying full-backs Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth and Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, greater onus will be on crosses into the box.
| Hugo Ekitike Bundesliga 2024-25 | |
| Appearances | 33 |
| Minutes | 2563 |
| Goals | 15 |
| Assists | 8 |
| xG (Expected goals) | 21.6 |
| npxG (Non-penalty expected goals) | 19.3 |
By hugging the touchlines, both wingers can invert, likely leading to overloads in the opponent’s box as crosses fly in from left and right.
A mixture of low-driven balls and high crosses will favour the Liverpool attacking line, including the six-foot-three Frenchman.
Moreover, the 23-year-old greatly underperformed his xG (21.6) by -6.6 in the Bundesliga, suggesting he has a greater ceiling for goals than previously thought.