On Wednesday, Liverpool reached an agreement on personal terms with French striker Hugo Ekitike and submitted their first official bid to his club, German side Eintracht Frankfurt, reportedly in the region of £70 million.
Ekitike enjoyed a breakout campaign in the Bundesliga last season, registering 22 goals and twelve assists across 48 appearances in all comps.
His emergence caught the attention of several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Newcastle United—the latter reportedly going toe-to-toe with Liverpool before ultimately withdrawing from the race for his signature.
So, with all signs pointing to the Frenchman making an imminent arrival to Anfield, what will his addition mean for the club?
1. Liverpool’s attack continues to look increasingly different from last season
While Premier League teams may feel better prepared to face the Reds after a full season of observing Arne Slot’s tactics, the addition of Ekitike introduces another unpredictable element to Liverpool’s evolving attack.
With the arrivals of Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, and two attack-minded fullbacks—Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong—Liverpool have added four players who could fit right into the starting XI on Matchweek 1.
That’s more than enough to give rival Premier League clubs something to worry about in the weeks ahead.
Ekitike offers a different attacking profile compared to Liverpool’s current options like Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz—especially with at least one of those two players expected to depart before the season begins.
While Núñez thrives on relentless energy and unpredictability, and Díaz is known for his dribbling flair, Ekitike stands out for his intelligent movement and ability to exploit space—traits that could complement a fellow raumdeuter like Florian Wirtz perfectly.
With fewer than 100 senior appearances to his name, the 23-year-old is still refining his game.
With a smaller sample size than more established players, opposing clubs may find themselves scrambling to figure out how best to prepare for Liverpool’s new striker.
2. Fenway Sports Group have full faith in backing Arne Slot
FSG have opened their checkbooks all the way this summer, and the signing of Ekitike demonstrates that the Reds’ ownership fully believe Slot can deliver back-to-back Premier League titles for Merseyside.
Alexander Isak may have been the dream target this summer, but Newcastle have made it clear that he is essentially not for sale.
As a result, FSG moved quickly to secure what Arne Slot likely viewed as the next best option. Notably, both players share similar physical profiles—Ekitike stands tall at 6’3”, just an inch shorter than Isak’s towering 6’4” frame.
Many Reds criticized FSG for not giving Jürgen Klopp the financial backing he may have desired at several points during his managerial tenure, but this has been an absolute dream start to life at Liverpool for Slot.
With the combined fees for Ekitike, Wirtz, Frimpong and Kerkez totaling around £250 million, Liverpool have already spent roughly a quarter of what they did during Klopp’s entire tenure. Fans may not be accustomed to such a spending spree, but it’s certainly a welcome sight.
3. Fans may have to be patient
The last time Liverpool paid a significant fee for a young striker from outside England was for Darwin Núñez.
While the Uruguayan has had his moments at Anfield, his £85 million price tag will likely be remembered as questionable, largely due to his persistent inconsistency in finishing.
If there’s one flaw to highlight in Ekitike’s game, it’s his finishing—his 15 goals last season fell noticeably short of his 25.2 expected goals (xG).
While xG doesn’t always capture the full picture, playing in a league where defenders are generally less physically imposing than in the Premier League means his conversion rate raises a slight question mark about his ability to hit the ground running come August.
If there’s one thing Arne Slot proved last season, it’s his exceptional vision for maximizing his players’ potential—clearly demonstrated by the transformation of Liverpool’s midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, all of whom performed markedly better than in their debut seasons the year before.
Ekitike’s natural ability to glide through defenses with crafty movement and his imposing stature is evident, and if Slot can fine-tune his finishing mechanics, the Frenchman could soon start scoring goals consistently—even if it takes some time for his full potential to materialize.