Are Liverpool taking a gamble on Ekitike? Liverpool are set to spend £82m on the Frenchman shortly after paying a huge fee to land Florian Wirtz.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise but Liverpool are getting a lot of criticism for spending big this summer. Of course, there is an element of hypocrisy for rival fans and pundits aligned with clubs that have operated this way for years.
Yet, it is understandable. Liverpool have – even before the Ekitike deal goes through and the funds are transferred – committed to over £200m in transfer fees already this summer.
At the same time, however, it’s not as though they’ve been spending recklessly. All the signing made so far have been made in areas that have needed reinforcement for years.
But the £82m reportedly agreed for the Ekitike transfer is understandably being critiqued.
Neil Warnock is struggling to wrap his head around Liverpool’s £82m move for Hugo Ekitike
After several months of speculation, Liverpool are finally moving into the final stages of negotations to sign Hugo Ekitike and Neil Warnock, former Premier League manager, has shared his confusion at the price tag.
Warnock said: “Isn’t it a lot of money, that? For somebody who, yeah he’s had a good season or what have you, but there’s so many question marks against what he’s going to be like.
“I don’t know where the money is going now, £90m for that? I just think it’s too much of a gamble, me.
“Or are they using that to try and give them a bit more time for the Newcastle lad?”
How much of a risk is Ekitike?
There have been a lot of players (Havertz, Keita, Werner etc) that have failed to translate incredible Bundesliga form to the Premier League and there are concerns that Ekitike will fall into the same bracket.
His 22 goals and 12 assists last season is very impressive but it’s a lot harder to find space and time in England and time will really prove whether or not Liverpool have made a mistake.
Just three years on from signing Darwin Nunez for £64m, Liverpool are now selling him and there are worries among fans that Ekitike could be another misplaced investment.
However, there are a number of differences. Firstly, the Bundesliga is a far more competitive division compared to Portugal’s top flight but the main differences are between the two players.
At the time Liverpool signed Nunez, there were existing concerns over his football IQ and technical ability. The 26-year-old has never been a nuanced player and unfortunately, that lack of refined quality was his undoing at Anfield.
Ekitike, on the other hand, is far better technically and doesn’t rely solely on his physical attributes to succeed. He seemingly has a much better spatial awareness and his creative streak suggests he is much more than just a goalscorer.
As I said, time will prove whether or not Ekitike is a truly elite talent but one thing is clear: he’s a significant upgrade on Nunez and that should be enough for at least his first season.
