Every summer, the Premier League’s big name clubs expose the flaws of the modern transfer market. They sign strikers for upwards of £100 million, only for them to score fewer, and contribute less than players that cost pennies by comparison.
This is essentially what’s happened to most of the big name, big money signings to enter the frame this season. Some, like Nick Woltemade and Benjamin Šeško, have had their moments of brilliance and performed well even despite not setting the league alight. Others, like Alexander Isak and Tottenham’s entire front-line are yet to prove their worth.
Hugo Ekitiké’s been a cut above all of them. You know that old adage about the Premier League being more physical than other leagues, and requiring an adjustment period? Hugo Ekitiké never got the memo.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn part, because the former Frankfurt man is naturally a powerful, physical centre-forward. But also because he’s embodied the Liverpool way better than anyone this season, often leading their charge toward Champions League football.
Here is why Hugo Ekitiké has hit the ground running when so many others have stalled, and what the Frenchman has brought to Arne Slot’s team this season.
IMPOSING PHYSICALITY
Embed from Getty ImagesI can only imagine Hugo Ekitiké to be an absolute nightmare to play against. He’s physical, strong, bombastic, and always on the move.
His feet seem to shuffle and shake at 2x speed, with electricity in his boots always ready to zap him into space.
Recognizing his power lives in his physicality, Liverpool have simplified his role. With creators like Wirtz, Salah and Szoboszlai around him, Ekitiké doesn’t need to be everything — he just needs to be ruthless.
He’s been used almost like a modern Jamie Vardy. Constant runs, direct service, and an invitation to turn defensive pressure into goals.
They’re never shy about playing passes over the top, end to end lobs, or the hopeful pass that might give Ekitiké something to work from. And he thrives off all of it.
He’s exceptional at sprinting into space, shouldering defenders off any loose ball, and using his physical presence in the air to take passes down for others.
The 23-year-old’s favourite pocket of space is down the left-wing.
He’ll frequently drift away from centre-backs to pick up possession on the left. From there, he’ll wait for a runner to sprint into that left-wing space, as he cuts inside onto his right foot and blasts from distance.
By now, Premier League defences should all be aware of this, but it’s still difficult to defuse.
Psychologists call it diffusion of responsibility. Opposition defenders call it a nightmare.
When Ekitiké drifts out wide or positions himself in between a pair of defenders, it becomes a major question mark as to who is supposed to track him.
Given that he can inject this unpredictability in his movement and interchange with his left-winger, it becomes impossible to take a player like Ekitiké out of a game. Many of the other big money strikers in the league stay central and give the centre-backs consistency.
Liverpool’s new ‘number 9’ throws extra variables into the mix with his willingness to run around the pitch and pick passes up wherever the space finds him.
And he’s exceptional at finding that space. Pair him with a creative midfielder like Florian Wirtz who has the eye for a pass, and you have a match made in heaven.
Embed from Getty ImagesA partnership like this was always going to take time to develop, but as they spend more time together, that Bundesliga connection should continue to flourish into something special for the Reds.
GOAL SCORING TOUCH
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the reasons for the Jamie Vardy comparison in this article is the variability in which Ekitiké finds the back of the net.
He’s never shy about blasting the ball from distance, but he’s equally capable as a poacher inside the penalty area.
The power that he generates behind the ball allows him to be a supremely clean shooter of the ball from range. But he also can get up for headers, or the simpler penalty box finishes.
He loves injecting a bit of skill into his play for the strike, whether that be inside a compact defense, or as he drives from out to in to find space for that long-range hit.
He can be fairly right-footed with his goals, but maintains the same power on his left and noggin. With 10 goals in his opening 21 Premier League matches, it’s clear that Hugo Ekitiké has settled into this Liverpool team immediately.
But it’s not only the goals. Ekitiké has succeeded because his strengths match Liverpool’s. He would’ve thrived under Jürgen Klopp’s “heavy metal” pressing, and many of those same principles remain under Arne Slot — speed, aggression, vertical running, and relentless intensity. Few players in this squad personify that better than the Frenchman.
Embed from Getty ImagesEven without his 10 Premier League goals, Ekitiké would still look like a successful signing because of his desire to impact matches. The goals have simply turned a great start into the best start he could’ve asked for.
Embed from Getty Images
In a league where expensive forwards often need a year to breathe, Ekitiké has arrived already sprinting. He’s been one of Liverpool’s most important players in their Champions League crawl, and easily one of the best signings of the season so far.
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