How Hugo Ekitike fits in at Liverpool: PSG castoff fills striker need as Arne Slot and company go all in

Liverpool's ambitious summer showed no signs of slowing down on Wednesday with the signing of forward Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, a player who seems poised to become an impactful player at Anfield as the Reds build a new-look attack.

The Reds could pay a transfer fee that exceeds $100 million if all conditions are met, a sizable bet on the 23-year-old. Ekitike may have had a low profile before this summer but not because he lacks the potential to compete at the highest levels of the game – he had 24 goals and 14 assists for Frankfurt in 64 games, demonstrating a strong ability to put his chances in the back of the net as well as a talent for setting up his teammates to do the same. He reportedly also caught the attention of Chelsea and Manchester United, and most notably, Newcastle United, before landing at Liverpool during a big summer for the club.

Ekitike is not the only player Liverpool have spent big on this summer, the club paying around $400 million in transfer fees already. The most notable of their signings is midfielder Florian Wirtz, for whom they paid Bayer Leverkusen an initial fee of around $135 million, though the list also includes wingbacks Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Each of them answers attacking needs for the Reds, who capitalized on Mohamed Salah's incredible run of form last season en route to the Premier League title but do not seem intent on resting on their laurels.

Liverpool seem intent on building an attacking juggernaut that will compete for several titles next season, with Ekitike likely to play a crucial role in their success in the short and long term. Here's a closer look at what the Frenchman can offer the Reds.

Hugo Ekitike's strengths: Versatility, nose for goal

Ekitike boasts some obvious qualities as a forward, chief among them an ability to score goals. He had 24 in 64 games for Frankfurt and was the Bundesliga's second-best player in terms of expected goals last season, generating a tally of 21.62 and finishing inside the top 10 for goals scored with 15. He also delivers a high volume of shots, leading Germany's top flight in the 2024-25 campaign for shots with 117 and was second in the league for shots on goal with 48.

His flexibility across the front line only adds to his promise, especially considering his ability to contribute to the team effort. Ekitike notched 14 assists during his spell at Frankfurt including eight in the Bundesliga last season, assisting seven different players in his final season with the team. His wide-ranging skillset has made him an easy target for a handful of England's most high-profile teams and should serve him well at Liverpool, especially since he has yet to reach the peak of his powers.

Hugo Ekitike's weaknesses: Lack of physicality, experience

There is an argument to be made that Ekitike may not currently have the physicality to compete in a league where those demands are at their highest, while the fact that Liverpool acquired him right after his breakout season in Germany means the 23-year-old does not yet have the body of work to demonstrate that he is a reliable pick for the future. Those are fixable problems, though, and the Reds will hope they can eradicate some of the other gaps in his game. According to The Athletic, Frankfurt reportedly planned for Ekitike to stick around next season, identifying finishing and work against deep defensive blocks as areas of improvement.

What went wrong at Paris Saint-Germain

Ekitike's first exposure to the environment of major clubs came with a brief spell at Paris Saint-Germain, who scooped up the player after an 11-goal season for his hometown club Reims in the 2021-22 campaign. He initially joined PSG on a season-long loan for the 2022-23 campaign and then on a permanent deal the following season, though earning minutes was easier said than done. Ekitike was in the French capital for the final years of PSG's spell with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, meaning playing time was hard to come by. He played nearly 1,200 league minutes in two seasons, averaging just under 45 minutes per match, and scored just four goals before joining Frankfurt on loan for the second half of the 2023-24 campaign.

What went right after Paris Saint-Germain

Playing time served Ekitike well in Germany, where he finally came into his own and was bolstered by an exciting, young team. He demonstrated both a strong ability to dribble and pass, translating that into impressive goalscoring and assist numbers and finished last season as Frankfurt's top goalscorer with 22 goals. Ekitike partnered well with Omar Marmoush, who scored 20 goals last season before leaving for Manchester City in the winter, but excelled separately from his ex-teammate both in terms of goals and assists.

How Hugo Ekitike fits in at Liverpool

Salah's remarkable individual performance last season papered over Liverpool's attacking cracks last season, even if manager Arne Slot seemed to prefer more attacking restraint than predecessor Jurgen Klopp in his first season with the Reds. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz were the only other players to deliver double-digit goals last season but there no was no natural choice for the No. 9 position — it clearly was not Diaz's best fit and Darwin Nunez was fairly ineffective in Slot's first year, notching just seven goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

Ekitike is currently the best-suited player for that role at Liverpool, even if a potential move for Newcastle's Alexander Isak might shake things up in that department. The 23-year-old is not a one-note No. 9, though, which serves the Reds well as they create a new attacking identity. Wirtz will obviously be the main player tasked with creating goals, but Ekitike has the ability to help out in a big way, while Frimpong and Kerkez should be able to contribute to the attacking vision with forward-thinking play on the wings. This is not a plan that makes Salah irrelevant, either – the plethora of wide players could allow the Egypt international to play inside more often, which could be a smart tactical evolution for the 33-year-old in the final years of his career, especially since he is still in strong form.