How do you expect Hugo Ekitike to be a striker when joining Liverpool? For the Reds fans, all are looking forward to the French star will become a “new Fernando Torres” – a true “killer” of the club …
The first goal was a typical handling of a classical striker. Liverpool's number 9 stepped back a few meters to escape from the defender, coordinated with a winger, then quietly invaded the penalty area. At least later, the ball was stretched from the right border, and the striker finished right outside the 5m50 round open the score 1-0.
At the end of the match, he scored another goal from a similar position, just need a simple one touch to bring the ball to the opponent's net. The score on the molineux field on January 22, 2011 was Wolves 0-3 Liverpool. The red shirt player with the legendary number behind the back is Fernando Torres – the last model center that Liverpool brought back to score and became an undisputed success.
Now, Hugo Ekitike is the latest name trying to break the failure series in this position, when Liverpool approaches the announcement of a contract that can be worth up to 79 million pounds with the UK.
Liverpool is not the only big club in finding a true striker. Arsenal for many years struggled, Chelsea has never really replaced Didier Drogba, except for Diego Costa as a rare exception.
A star who tried to do it at Stamford Bridge but failed, Torres – who left Liverpool just 9 days after a double against Wolves to join Chelsea for a record price of £ 50 million.
He replaced England, Andy Carroll, to Liverpool from Newcastle for £ 35 million, in the right type of traditional striker – no one can deny that. However, Carroll scored a few memorable goals, especially two goals against Everton, and then still pushed away after only 18 months.
Next is IAGO Aspas, but it is difficult to determine which striker he is, because it is hardly kicked and only scored only one table against Oldham Athletic at the FA Cup. Then came Rickie Lambert, a genuine Liverpudlian, but did not leave any imprints at Anfield before being sold to West Brom.
In that period, Liverpool also had Daniel Sturridge and previously Luis Suarez, which was bought to pair with Torres. Finally, Suarez and Sturridge themselves form a pair of coincidence. However, are they real number 9?
Suarez scored 31 goals in 33 matches in the 2013/14 season – an incredible performance. But like Sturridge, he often drifted his wings. In terms of playing style, they are more like Kenny Dalglish than Ian Rush – the greatest striker in Liverpool history.
After Lambert is Christian Benteke, moving from Aston Villa for £ 32.5 million. Under the coach Brendan Rodgers, Benteke played as a striker, but when Jurgen Klopp replaced him, he needed another striker.
Roberto Firmino became Liverpool's number 9 but did not play as a real striker. During 8 years, he was remembered more by the role of “deep backing artist”, who cleaned the team for his teammates to score instead of his own ending.
Darwin Nunez, who came from Benfica in 2022 with a record price of 85 million pounds, inherited the number 9 shirt but did not show much and was on the way to leave the club.
A few other names like Divock Origi once scored in the Champions League final, but were often pushed to the border. Diogo Jota is a real number of 9 and has been rated by Jamie Carragher as the best striker of the club, but he has not joined Liverpool to kick No. 9. Before that, the striker has just played left at Wolves.
Last season, coach Arne Slot brought Liverpool to win the Premier League without having a fixed striker, when alternately used between Jota, Nunez and Luis Diaz.
Although Ekitike used to kick at Reims and PSG, he played mainly in the middle for Frankfurt season 2024/25, scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga – equal to Omar Marmoush, who later moved to Man City in the middle of the season.
Slot once talked about the preference of versatile strikers, but obviously, if you spend more than £ 80 million to buy a striker from another leading tournament, Ekitike will be judged first based on the number of goals scored at Anfield.
It will be interesting to wait to see which shirts Ekitike receive. The number 9 shirt is really empty if Nunez will definitely leave the club. Since Torres, no one has succeeded with this shirt at Liverpool besides Firmino.
Rickie Lambert once shared that wearing Liverpool's number 9 shirt is a huge pressure, not only because of the legendary number, but for both position and responsibility. He grew up to look at Ian Rush that scored non -stop, and it was hard to accept Firmino who was not the one who was expected to score the most.
However, Ekitike is not Firmino. The French star is fast, thin and likes to play behind the defender – the Torres style model. The future of Ekitike at Anfield will be decided when faced with the goalkeeper, in the moment the real number 9 needs to shine.
