When Liverpool's attention for striker Hugo Ekitike of Frankfurt shifts from rumors to reality, many questions have been raised: Will the French striker really suitable for Liverpool and he deserves a huge amount of money to recruit from the Bundesliga team?
Ekitike owns a contract to release a contract worth 100 million euros (equivalent to 116 million USD), and Frankfurt is said to not accept the price much lower than that number.
Newcastle, the team also pursued Ekitike drastically, was given a proposal of about 95 million USD, but was rejected. This means that Liverpool will have to continue to “hook the maid” in this transfer, after spending $ 39 million for Jeremie Frimpong, 134 million USD for Florian Wirtz and $ 54 million for Milos Kerkez.
Spending a large amount of money for another striker can clearly be considered a gamble. Liverpool was also contacted with Alexander Isak – the striker who is wearing Newcastle and has always been the theme of many transfer rumors. However, with the fact that Newcastle has won the right to attend the Champions League in the 2025/26 season, they definitely want to keep the Swedish star staying.
Sometimes, Ekitike seems to be just a “chess pieces” to pressure Newcastle to release Isak, but the reality is that Liverpool has watched Ekitike for a long time, and their interest this summer is completely serious.
Player records are carefully prepared
With the way of working of the Liverpool recruiting department, they often build a player's records many years ago – for the names they have a certain interest. As a result, when the opportunity to recruit, most of the analysis is ready.
The case of Ekitike is no exception. Liverpool has known him since this player still wears Reims and plays for the French U20 team. He has appeared in the championship team Maurice Revelo 2022 (formerly known as Toulon Tournament) – a prestigious youthful tournament, where scouts often “snow”. Although Ekitike was injured in the semi -finals, his play and class still impressed.
Even if there is no intention of buying a player, the wise business clubs always build records and monitor the top young talents. That is why Liverpool is often mentioned with many names of each transfer season, but “watching” does not mean to recruit.
If a club does not watch the top players from the time they are very young, then it is a big mistake. The Liverpool's willingness to spend on Ekitike and other deals this summer is the result of that silent preparation – at a club with strong financial potential and the ability to make decisions quickly.
Chi is bold but not reckless
An additional $ 115 million to get Ekitike may be considered risks, but with the thorough preparation behind, it is a controlled risk.
This is also the location that Liverpool has not really “framed”. As long as the player conforms to the defensive and moving standards that the team requests, the attacking aspect can be a place to test and create.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are rumored to leave Anfield, and the money collected from them will help Liverpool sponsor the Ekitike deal. However, as Chris Weatherspoon football financial expert was analyzed in March, and even more obvious after the Wirtz deal in June, Liverpool was operated by Fenway Sports Group (FSG) that allowed them to spend strongly in strategic times. And this is one of them.
Liverpool does not spend beyond the ability, and is still complying with financial rules (FFP). Financially, this is not a reckless gamble.
Ekitike is a combination of a player who is ready to play immediately and a “long -term project” – who has the potential to develop to a higher level.
The expectation of repeating the success of Isak
The French player is considered to be quite similar to Isak when the Swedish striker Premier League from Sociedad in 2022. Now, at the age of 25, Isak has become one of the leading strikers in Europe, contributing greatly to help Newcastle return to the Champions League.
Liverpool hopes that Ekitike can create the same effect at Anfield, especially when they are the Premier League champions, with the ambition to protect the throne and go far in the Cup arena.
Ekitike is a tall striker, capable of coordinating, dribbling and scoring. With a height of 1m91, he is not too excellent in the airfare as people expect, but the bodybuilding helps in many other aspects of the match.
Liverpool will be very beneficial if there is a player suitable for traditional play, but sometimes the team needs new, breakthrough things – something Ekitike can bring.
Most importantly, with a young age, Ekitike will still keep the transfer value if it does not meet expectations. But Liverpool believes in their preparation, believing that this will be a deal that has been carefully calculated, even though the number spent is huge.
