Hugo Ekitike has made a blistering start to his Liverpool career and excited the Reds faithful with a curling effort into the bottom corner on his debut.
Florian Wirtz has issued his honest verdict on fellow new Liverpool signing Hugo Ekitike. The pair were adversaries during their time in Germany, but have now joined forces at Anfield in what promises to be a potent attacking partnership for the Reds.
Hugo Ekitike may have drawn a blank on his first appearance for Liverpool but fellow new signings Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong were both directly involved in goals before youngster Rio Ngumoha put the seal on a 3-1 victory over Yokohama F. Marinos in Wednesday's friendly in Japan.
Former Liverpool star Djibril Cisse thinks Hugo Ekitike could be the club's new Peter Crouch, but has warned he will need time to settle at Anfield. Ekitike is all set to sign for the Reds after the Premier League champions agreed on a £79 million ($106m) deal with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. A six-year contract has been lined up for the 23-year-old, who was also linked with Newcastle.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has admitted to growing frustration in the transfer market after the Magpies missed out on multiple key targets to Premier League rivals, including Bryan Mbeumo, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike. While Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been very active, Newcastle's transfer activity remains stifled due to financial restrictions.
Liverpool are keen on signing a new No.9 to bolster their attack ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. The Reds have prioritised having a fearsome frontline in the last few seasons, with more than one option in each of the three positions upfront. Alexander Isak is one of five players on Liverpool's radar to slot into the central striker berth next season.