Ekitike gives Liverpool boss Slot dream striker conundrum

Hugo Ekitike was the last Liverpool player to leave the stadium to chant the team’s new cult hero as they walked off the field.

If the 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt signing Alexander Isak threatens his central striking role, he has a funny way of expressing it if he has any concerns. Isak signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £70 million.

Ekitike has seamlessly transitioned from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, displaying both a strong work ethic and quality that are appropriate for this Liverpool side.

After a fantastic start to life at Anfield, he has already started to fall in love with Liverpool’s fans.

From the applause for a cleverly taken goal to the deserved standing ovation he received after 67 minutes when he was replaced by Isak, it was evident throughout the nervy 2-1 win over Everton.

With the potential to pair Ekitike and Isak and use the France forward off the left, a position that is typically filled by Cody Gakpo, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has already indicated how his forwards’ future will develop.

What a conundrum does Slot have that every football manager enviously seeks out.

In 370 minutes of action, Ekitike added an assist to Liverpool’s five consecutive Premier League victories, scoring three goals.

According to Opta statistics, he has a 66.67% chance of winning.

Even though Liverpool knew there was every chance they would still have to pay the British record fee to entice Isak away from Tyneside, they were so determined to beat Newcastle United to his signature.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock stated on BBC Radio 5 Live that “Hugo Ekitike is just getting better and better.” He poses a threat when he touches the ball, which is what he has done so well during his brief spell at Liverpool.

Liverpool’s second goal, neatly pushed past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, provided a final solution to a derby where nerves were jangling in the dying moments because David Moyes’ improving Toffees posed a real threat.

The fear that Everton would deliver that last-gasp blow as the pressure mounted was not the reason Liverpool’s late-goal specialists needed to strike this time.

In the end, everything came together favorably: five wins out of five, with the most recent win coming from Isak and Florian Wirtz, who had been placed on the bench for a sum of £241 million.

And yet again, this was not a performance drenched in champions’ sparkle, which is ominous for those hoping to challenge Liverpool for the title.

As a substitute, Isak once more appeared rusty, which is understandable, while Wirtz, who has shown real signs of settling in recent games, has still got a lot more to produce based on previous evidence.

They can play together, of course. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy described Ekitike and Isak as exceptional players.

“But the manager views them both as number nines,” the manager says. “I believe they will split games. One player has 30 minutes and plays 60.

I believe he might play Ekitike as a number 10, or left, in some games, but I prefer to see them both as central strikers.

Ekitike made a statement when he scored the opener against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley, giving the game a hearty welcome from Anfield.

After a challenging Champions League match at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Slot was pleased to keep Liverpool’s winning streak alive. “I’m very satisfied taking into account everything that we had to play our third game in seven games, having the early kick-off,” he said.

You have to manage this the entire week, though, because I don’t care about the early kick-off.

It is good, taking that into account and winning the derby with a strong first-half performance.

Because they had a 2-1 lead, Slot continued, “Our mentality kept us in the game.” When we were first starting out, we had a great mentality and a great sense of quality.