Ekitike
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I haven’t seen enough of him to counter…but given I’m convinced that Slot was deeply enamoured with Enrique’s PSG shape shifters - you’d say that Ekitike fit’s the bill to implement similar at Anfield?
When opposing teams nullified Haaland city looked impotent. I think Slot wants a player that play with the ball at his feet, do 1-2s, hold off defenders
Are there really no new Firmino's coming out of South America these days?
He likes a lot of 1-2s, likes laying it off. He fits the idea of fluidity for me
From the Transfer Flow and their opinion of Ekitike
In yesterday’s newsletter, we shared a report that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is Chelsea’s No. 1 target for this summer. Today, Florian Petterberg is reporting that Liverpool are just as interested, with the clubs having opened talks. Frankfurt’s asking price is €100m.
That figure seems a bit steep, but if Chelsea and Liverpool are ready to engage in a fight rather than paying a simple asking price to go get Viktor Gyökeres or Victor Osimhen, perhaps it’s not a crazy ask. I can’t imagine Liverpool would spend that kind of money on a striker in the same window where they’re set to spend in excess of €100m on Florian Wirtz and buy a couple of fullbacks as well, but they might have much better sales lined up than we realize.
So, why is he higher on Liverpool and Chelsea’s list than the more established names at striker? Let’s watch a classic 10 minute YouTube mixtape for fun to get us started.
In part 2 of our Liverpool rebuild series, I singled out Ekitike as the striker I’d have as my top target if I was running their transfer strategy this summer. The big reason was the variety in his game and ability to set up chances for the likes of Mohamed Salah just as much as he gets his own.
“The guy who I think best combines timing runs to the top of the 6 to get tons of high value chances with combining in midfield is Hugo Ekitike. He’s a bit of a risk — he’s only had one really good season in the Bundesliga, and he’s not as physical as he should be given his frame — but I think he does what Liverpool needs and is only getting better with experience.”
Earlier this year, Mohamed Mohamed wrote about Ekitike for us in a piece about three different promising tall strikers. His combination of size and dribbling ability isn’t something you see too often.
“What’s exciting about Ekitike is despite being listed at just under 6’3, his speed and burst are impressive, which has arguably gotten better from what was seen in Ligue 1. His dribble and carry numbers in Germany (2.86 dribbles per 90, 1.18 carries into the box) have improved from his time in France (1.46 dribbles per 90, 1.03 carries into the box). He’ll sometimes use dummies to let the ball roll past him, or curl towards the flank to set up isolated 1v1s.”
For a guy who gets so much praise for his dribbling and passing abilities, you’d think that Ekitike isn’t as much of a shooter as some of the other top strikers expected to make moves this summer. But his xG and shot volume are right up there with the best of the best. And he continued to play in the same fashion, setting up chances for teammates just as often as he created great shooting opportunities for himself, even after the departure of Omar Marmoush.
Do you like red triangles? Boy, do I love red triangles. For the uninitiated, triangles represent shots immediately preceded by through balls in the below shot chart, and they’re the highest value shots. The darker red a shot is on this chart, the higher the xG value. This dude gets some extremely high value shots.
As good as Ekitike has been this season, he’s also been a bit unlucky, underperforming his xG by three goals. I personally don’t think he has any finishing quality issues from having watched him, and clearly Liverpool have come to the exact same conclusion. I also think his quick feet allow him to avoid getting his shots blocked when he’s in tight spaces in the box, something that happens a bit too often to Gyökeres and Benjamin Šeško for my tastes.
But the big value that Ekitike provides relative to the other big names getting linked to rich teams is his playmaking skills. He’s setting up great shots for teammates. And in case you’re suspicious that he farmed these stats playing next to Marmoush, all 7 of his assists are to different players.
So, what are the downsides? He’s not particularly strong and can get knocked off the ball more easily than the other star strikers he’s being compared to regularly at the moment. He’s surprisingly average in the air for a guy who’s 6’3” and has solid leaping ability. But these are very easy problems to fix compared to, say, having bad touch or passing vision or goal-scoring instincts in the 18 yard box. Liverpool and Chelsea know where to get a heading coach and some protein shakes.
Chelsea and Liverpool are correct to have Ekitike on top of their strikers list. He has the highest ceiling of the strikers these teams are considering, and he’d get the most out of combining with Salah/Cole Palmer. €100m is a number that carries serious sticker shock, and Ekitike might not be worth quite that, but I also don’t think anyone’s going to end up having buyer’s remorse. He’ll be an immediate impact player for either team.
In yesterday’s newsletter, we shared a report that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is Chelsea’s No. 1 target for this summer. Today, Florian Petterberg is reporting that Liverpool are just as interested, with the clubs having opened talks. Frankfurt’s asking price is €100m.
That figure seems a bit steep, but if Chelsea and Liverpool are ready to engage in a fight rather than paying a simple asking price to go get Viktor Gyökeres or Victor Osimhen, perhaps it’s not a crazy ask. I can’t imagine Liverpool would spend that kind of money on a striker in the same window where they’re set to spend in excess of €100m on Florian Wirtz and buy a couple of fullbacks as well, but they might have much better sales lined up than we realize.
So, why is he higher on Liverpool and Chelsea’s list than the more established names at striker? Let’s watch a classic 10 minute YouTube mixtape for fun to get us started.
In part 2 of our Liverpool rebuild series, I singled out Ekitike as the striker I’d have as my top target if I was running their transfer strategy this summer. The big reason was the variety in his game and ability to set up chances for the likes of Mohamed Salah just as much as he gets his own.
“The guy who I think best combines timing runs to the top of the 6 to get tons of high value chances with combining in midfield is Hugo Ekitike. He’s a bit of a risk — he’s only had one really good season in the Bundesliga, and he’s not as physical as he should be given his frame — but I think he does what Liverpool needs and is only getting better with experience.”
Earlier this year, Mohamed Mohamed wrote about Ekitike for us in a piece about three different promising tall strikers. His combination of size and dribbling ability isn’t something you see too often.
“What’s exciting about Ekitike is despite being listed at just under 6’3, his speed and burst are impressive, which has arguably gotten better from what was seen in Ligue 1. His dribble and carry numbers in Germany (2.86 dribbles per 90, 1.18 carries into the box) have improved from his time in France (1.46 dribbles per 90, 1.03 carries into the box). He’ll sometimes use dummies to let the ball roll past him, or curl towards the flank to set up isolated 1v1s.”
For a guy who gets so much praise for his dribbling and passing abilities, you’d think that Ekitike isn’t as much of a shooter as some of the other top strikers expected to make moves this summer. But his xG and shot volume are right up there with the best of the best. And he continued to play in the same fashion, setting up chances for teammates just as often as he created great shooting opportunities for himself, even after the departure of Omar Marmoush.
Do you like red triangles? Boy, do I love red triangles. For the uninitiated, triangles represent shots immediately preceded by through balls in the below shot chart, and they’re the highest value shots. The darker red a shot is on this chart, the higher the xG value. This dude gets some extremely high value shots.
As good as Ekitike has been this season, he’s also been a bit unlucky, underperforming his xG by three goals. I personally don’t think he has any finishing quality issues from having watched him, and clearly Liverpool have come to the exact same conclusion. I also think his quick feet allow him to avoid getting his shots blocked when he’s in tight spaces in the box, something that happens a bit too often to Gyökeres and Benjamin Šeško for my tastes.
But the big value that Ekitike provides relative to the other big names getting linked to rich teams is his playmaking skills. He’s setting up great shots for teammates. And in case you’re suspicious that he farmed these stats playing next to Marmoush, all 7 of his assists are to different players.
So, what are the downsides? He’s not particularly strong and can get knocked off the ball more easily than the other star strikers he’s being compared to regularly at the moment. He’s surprisingly average in the air for a guy who’s 6’3” and has solid leaping ability. But these are very easy problems to fix compared to, say, having bad touch or passing vision or goal-scoring instincts in the 18 yard box. Liverpool and Chelsea know where to get a heading coach and some protein shakes.
Chelsea and Liverpool are correct to have Ekitike on top of their strikers list. He has the highest ceiling of the strikers these teams are considering, and he’d get the most out of combining with Salah/Cole Palmer. €100m is a number that carries serious sticker shock, and Ekitike might not be worth quite that, but I also don’t think anyone’s going to end up having buyer’s remorse. He’ll be an immediate impact player for either team.
Watch the video posted above. It's a good player profile. It isn't so much what the stats say - it's that watching that highlight reel can you see that coming off in the PL? I can't.
The counter to that is that he's the main focus of their attack in the BL. Here he's got mo, Diaz, potentially wirtz all needing watching.
He might score less than a trad 9 but I think he'll allow everyone around him to score more.
Also, if we go back and watch firmino in the BL, he was entirely different to how he was when he was here.
If the spreadsheet squad want him, I trust them
If the stats guys think he’s the one - then we’ll be after him - just offer them Darwin (or what we know we’re getting for Darwin).
If we’re not interested - you’ll just hear nothing from credible sources and it’ll all go away eventually.
If we’re not interested - you’ll just hear nothing from credible sources and it’ll all go away eventually.
Fuck me, Boehly et al are such pricks…
I always wanted Bobby ! I was one of the first on here to keep on about him - maybe 2 seasons before we got him if memory serves !
He was quality I agree, But he didn't play in the same way as here. He was deeper, more off a striker.
...which is why I didn't want him, which is why I'm not managing LFC but flying a desktop. 
I'm fine with him over the other potential options. Just the price that concerns me. If we can negotiate that down a bit, I'm in.
Tbh the price is annoying, but it's a sellers market.
For years we've sold shite for top dollar. Swings and roundabouts
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCCoM3geTjE
here is a more balanced view, as it contains his last 60 shots
not just goals, not just misses
And Rodgers managed LFC and didn´t have a clue on how to use him....which is why I didn't want him, which is why I'm not managing LFC but flying a desktop.
Just concerned that we've only got so much gunpowder on hand and what the knock-on consequences are of firing and missing.
We can only open so many more new stands to fund summers like this one.
Seems like he takes too many low probability shots, maybe due to frustration/ lack of experience
He seems lethal when he's in and around the 6 yard box.
Oh good God. Why is everyone promoting him again?
I would say the opposite in my case. I am against us signing this lad. I don't think he has it. At least not yet.
I like that he is somewhat two footed. His decision making looks woeful however, so many moments where he is a simple pass away from a guaranteed goal for his team. Gotta cut that shit out
Ditto. He just doesn't look anywhere near good enough. And that's in the BL
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