Hugo Ekitiké, Liverpool’s unexpected bright spot
Sometimes stories nobody saw coming. Ekitiké’s at Liverpool is one of them. It started as a cheap gamble in a frantic transfer window, then turned into one of the few reasons to buzz at Anfield this season.
Liverpool are in a strange phase, stuck between a fading cycle and a hazy rebuild. The rhythm’s off, dominance is slipping, the Kop grumbles. And in that grey mess a 23-year-old Frenchman turns up and flips the lights back on.
A low-key signing
When the club announced him in July, a lot of people raised an eyebrow. Ekitiké arrived off a decent loan at Francfort but was still marked by a mixed spell at PSG. Pundits figured he’d be a backup, or at best another body in an already crowded rotation.
Especially since Liverpool made noise elsewhere. Alexander Isak grabbed the headlines, his 125 millions lighting up the feeds. Wirtz fired the imagination, the German prodigy who cost 130 millions. Kerkez looked like the left-side future. Amid those flashy names, Ekitiké barely flickered.
Almost. Because he knew this was his moment.
A rapid adaptation
Ten games in, the story’s already different. Seven goals in the Premier League, a handful more in cups, and above all an attitude that hits you straight away: ambition, pressing, runs behind the defense. His brace against Brighton sounded like confirmation. A night when Liverpool finally had a clinical edge up front.
Against Leeds, his two goals only earned a 3-3 draw. This time the Reds held on. And his name rang around the Kop like they’re hailing a new hero. Arne Slot has found in Ekitiké a profile that fits his dynamic, vertical football perfectly.
More than ten goals across all competitions. An average of 0,72 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes. Stats that tell a simple truth: Liverpool have found a killer. And they needed one badly, with Salah stepping back and the statistical ineffectiveness of their big signings.
An unstable backdrop, a meteoric rise
What makes this surge so fascinating is that it comes inside a team still being rebuilt. The attacking patterns aren’t slick. The midfield’s searching for a boss. Injuries brutally remind you of the chronic instability of recent seasons.
Ekitiké didn’t wait for everything to be perfect to deliver. He grabbed the attack by the scruff, almost insolently. People thought he’d have to earn minutes patiently; he forced the doors and sat his rivals on the bench.
And when the Kop chanted his name after his second against Brighton, you felt a collective shiver. As if Liverpool had found a simple symbol of hope: a player who makes everything feel still possible.
This season could tip
Sure, the Premier League’s ruthless. Sure, comparisons with the club’s stars will sometimes be unfair. But right now, what Ekitiké offers exceeds expectations. He brings flair in the final 20 yards, calm finishing, and a quiet determination.
Fans dreamed of this: a modern centre-forward who can drop deep, combine, and above all finish.
We don’t know how far this romance will go. We don’t know if Ekitiké will keep up this ferocious pace until May. But one thing’s certain: in a wobbling Liverpool season, the Frenchman has become the unexpected bright spot. The spark that could rekindle the flame.
Anfield needed a new story. Ekitiké chose to write one.
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