Why Hugo Ekitiké Represents Liverpool’s Best Summer Signing

Liverpool are no strangers to value-for-money signings, and Hugo Ekitiké represents the latest of those.

Not only is he one of the most impressive forwards in Europe, but an initial transfer fee of £69m clearly indicates that The Reds are confident he will add a great deal to their team.

What can we expect from him on the pitch? How does he compare to other forwards who have recently donned the Liverpool jersey? These are all questions that fans wish to address, and a detailed overview is found immediately below.

Who is Hugo Ekitiké?

At 23 years of age, Ekitike has been one of the most impressive strikers in the Premier League this season. The France international has even been compared to his teammate Mo Sälah, although it is still much too early to tell if he can reach the heights of the legendary Egyptian.

Having said that, the numbers he’s achieving so far at Anfield speak for themselves. After netting in the 2-1 win over Tottenham, he has scored eight goals in his first 11 Premier League starts for Liverpool. That’s only one less than Daniel Sturridge; an accomplishment which is difficult to overstate.

Furthermore, his total number of goals stands at 11 in 24 appearances with the Reds, a meteoric rise into the double digits even faster than Salah. He has been LFC’s leading scorer by some distance this term, with Salah, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai the next-most prolific on five each.

Although it is easy to tout the strengths associated with Ekitiké, are there any weaknesses which should be noted? Some analysts have cited the following (potential) issues:

• He is not the most consistent of finishers.
• Some feel that his shot selection skills could be improved.
• Others have questioned whether his comparatively tall height might be a hindrance.

As his numbers tell, these are relatively minor drawbacks which haven’t been in evidence at Liverpool so far Ekitiké. However, Arne Slot has a few things to polish to improve the 23-year-old’s performances even further.

All in all, let’s compare Ekitiké’s statistics against the Reds’ two other major attacking signings in the summer: Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Florian Wirtz

To be fair, Wirtz is more of a midfielder than a striker, although in Germany he used to be a powerful finisher, with 16 goals to his name last season. However, English football hasn’t been kind to him in that regard.

He hasn’t scored yet for Liverpool, and his passing ability – while important in the creative part of the attack – hasn’t brought the frequency of assists that Ekitiké and other strikers could seize upon for easy goals.

He’s not the Reds’ primary goalscorer, but we believe that’s yet to come from the German.

Alexander Isak

Isak’s transfer was one of the prevailing soap operas during the summer market. Newcastle and Liverpool were negotiating and discussing the move for so long it seemed that it wouldn’t be ready on time, but the Reds eventually got their man.

His goal against Spurs at the weekend was just his second in the Premier League for his new club and his third in total (the other came in the Carabao Cup). LFC would’ve expected a bit more for a striker who cost £125m, but sadly he won’t get to build momentum this season after suffering a suspected broken leg on Saturday.

For those who like football, maybe betting on one of those sites reviewed by Noxwin that the Swede will improve his numbers once he returns to action is a good idea. Isak has shown himself to be a mature and prolific striker, so he might simply have been enduring a rough patch in adapting to a new team. Hopefully he can come back from his horrific injury even stronger than before.

A Return to Klopp-Style Tactics?

Slot may be embracing this same strategy when it comes to reinventing a team which has become somewhat more docile when compared to Liverpool while under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.

The addition of Ekitiké seems to represent a paradigm shift into a more unpredictable organisation when it comes to offensive tactics. The inclusion of Wirtz within the team could very well confirm this observation as the 2025/26 season continues apace.

Either way, there is no doubt that Ekitiké represents a solid addition to the Reds’ line-up. When combined with the skills associated with Wirtz and the other attackers at Anfield, it is not unreasonable to assume that Liverpool’s recent resurgence will continue into the New Year and beyond.

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