‘perfect Modern Player’: Hugo Ekitiké Has All The Attributes To Thrive At Liverpool

Hugo Ekitiké is simply a £79m striker who has swapped nan Bundesliga for nan Premier League champions and is preparing to trial himself against nan champion defenders successful England and Europe. Four years ago, he was struggling to make the breakthrough astatine his boyhood nine Reims and was sent connected indebtedness to Denmark to study astir shot and himself.

Ekitiké arrived arsenic an 18‑year‑old successful nan metropolis of Vejle successful January 2021 to subordinate a nine primed for a relegation battle, a world distant from what he tin expect astatine Liverpool. Although a people assured person, he took clip to settee into life distant from home. But it was quickly apparent Ekitiké possessed earthy expertise and electrifying gait pinch which to torment teammates successful training and excite his manager. First, though, he needed to get up to velocity pinch nan Danish convention and began pinch a cameo disconnected nan chair successful a goalless tie against Aarhus.

“We put him on for nan last 10 minutes arsenic a striker and he didn’t play very well, but that is normal,” nan erstwhile Vejle caput coach Constantin Galca says. “You request a small clip to accommodate to nan team. But nan adjacent crippled we put him left-wing. We saw earlier successful nan clips of him that he had bully control, bully speed. Before he was playing much arsenic a striker, but we thought he would beryllium vulnerable connected nan wing. He’s a cleanable subordinate for modern football because he has each nan attributes: pace, skill, physicality and finishing.”

Ekitiké showed for Liverpool connected Sunday, successful nan Community Shield against Crystal Palace, why Galca thought he would beryllium an plus connected nan wing. Although he started arsenic nan cardinal striker, he trim successful from nan near and coiled nan shot into nan area for nan opener. If Alexander Isak arrives from Newcastle successful nan adjacent fewer weeks it could beryllium a useful action for Arne Slot.

At Vejle, Ekitiké’s naivety was arsenic evident arsenic his talent and he had to bide his time. It was almost two and a half months, during which he made 4 substitute appearances, earlier Ekitiké was fixed a start, astatine Odense.

“Denmark is simply a difficult spot to move to successful wintertime for anyone,” Galca says. “The days are short, the nights are agelong and it is very cold. But measurement by step, he said a small more. He became much settled in nan situation and sewage to cognize his teammates.

“He worked very difficult each time and earned nan assurance of his teammates. He was very smart, learning and adapting to our accuracy very quickly.”

Hugo Ekitiké went to play for nan Danish nine Vejle successful 2021, erstwhile was 18 years old. Photograph: Cal Sport Media/Alamy

Ekitiké became a large portion of nan dressing room. When nan euphony played he was first up to dance, trying to promote his much blimpish Danish teammates to subordinate in. He is remembered astatine nan nine for an infectious grin and was embraced, contempt nan pleasance he took successful humiliating much knowledgeable colleagues successful training pinch his speedy feet and dribbling prowess.

At Reims nan pursuing play Ekitiké was amended equipped to woody pinch everything. He scored 10 Ligue 1 goals and successful July 2022 Paris Saint-Germain took him connected indebtedness earlier making nan woody imperishable a twelvemonth later for €35m. He was transferred to Eintracht Frankfurt successful 2024 for conscionable nether half that.

Considering nan figures for which nan 23-year-old has been sold, it is astonishing he is yet to make his afloat world debut, moreover allowing for nan talent astatine France’s disposal. The clubs have, successful essence, paid for imaginable and Liverpool consciousness that if he continues astatine nan aforesaid complaint of progression he will go 1 of nan world’s starring marksmen. He scored 15 times successful 33 Bundesliga games for Eintracht Frankfurt last season.

“It doesn’t matter if he played facing aliases pinch his backmost to nan goal, he ever had a solution, regardless of nan situation, whether he was adjacent to extremity aliases further backmost up nan pitch,” Galca says. “It proved he had bully quality, because it is difficult to deliberation of nan solution earlier receiving nan shot and past play accelerated erstwhile you get it.”

Galca often utilized Ekitiké arsenic a winger. The player’s cardinal contributions successful nan conflict for endurance included scoring doubly successful a important triumph complete Horsens and erstwhile successful a tie pinch Odense. The instrumentality for Galca was getting him to usage his skills astatine nan correct time.

Galca is caput coach astatine Rapid Bucharest aft an eclectic coaching travel and follows Ekitiké’s advancement closely. He spent astir of his playing days successful Spain and won 68 caps for Romania. During a spell managing Espanyol he had a young Marco Asensio connected indebtedness from Real Madrid.

“Marco was similar, playing astatine a very precocious level, but Ekitiké has much value 1 against one,” he says. “He useful harder, he has amended beingness condition … He would ever people much goals because he is nan amended finisher.”

Vejle offered Ekitiké a grounding and an knowing of a different shot world. He was smart capable to prehend it and has taken this cognition to Anfield.