When it became clear that Alexander Isak to Liverpool was a case of when and not if, the big talking point seemed to centre around one question in particular.
Why did the Premier League champions spend £69million on Hugo Ekitike?
Liverpool needed two attackers after the sales of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez as well as the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The sticking point for many seemed to be the fees.
The Reds spent a combined £200million on Isak and Ekitike despite playing a one-striker system. It was viewed by a lot of people as excessive, needless and risky. How do you keep both players happy? How do you get the best out of both of them?
Jamie Carragher has raised concerns over this decision on multiple occasions. Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football last month, the former Liverpool defender claimed Arne Slot faced a difficult task trying to incorporate both centre-forwards into the same starting XI.
“Ekitike has to play now. I could totally understand it’s not easy, and this was always my reservation about buying two strikers for that much money who both play in the same position. It’s very difficult to see a Liverpool team, or any team, get two strikers on the pitch, unless maybe you’re playing three at the back. It’s not easy to do that.
“I understand trying to get Isak in the team even though Ekitike was doing well. He’s a great player, he’s [Slot] got to get him fit, and he’s also paid a lot of money for him.
“My mind boggles going forward how this is going to work, but right now Ekitike’s got the shirt. He’s playing really well and it will probably do Isak a little bit of good if he’s out of the team to build his fitness up in training more.”
At first glance, the plan was seemingly to build the attack around Isak and Florian Wirtz. Ekitike would be the relief in the forward line for the Liverpool No9. The Frenchman wasn’t necessarily an afterthought, a club notorious for not spending money doesn’t splash £69million on someone they don’t believe in, but it was clear he wasn’t supposed to be the main man in attack. Not yet anyway.
Yet as we get closer to 2026, the big talking point around this Liverpool centres around one question.
Why did the Premier League champions spend £125million on Isak?
The Sweden international is expected to be out for a couple of months after sustaining a broken leg against Tottenham Hotspur in the process of scoring. It was just his second Premier League goal for the champions following his British record move to Anfield.
He’s been in and out of the team having not had a pre-season with Newcastle United. Isak has looked off of the pace, lacklustre and niggles have meant he’s missed the odd game here and there. The system being used by Slot isn’t doing him any favours either.
The message in the media was clear, he wasn’t signed for one season. He was signed for the next six seasons. Even with that in mind though, it’s clear he’s not really settled in just yet. Meanwhile, Ekitike has had a lot of joy leading the line for Liverpool.
He’s adapted to life in the Premier League. When given the opportunities, he’s shown a lot more on the ball than his strike partner. Even without taking the goals into account, Ekitike has comfortably had a better season than Isak.
Only Erling Haaland (18) has more non-penalty goals so far this term. Liverpool surge into fifth position over recent weeks has coincided with Ekitike’s best run of form in front of goal. The former PSG man has five goals in three games, including doubles against Leeds United and Brighton. He was the match-winner against the Seagulls and repeated the trick against Spurs, nodding home Liverpool’s second in a 2-1 win.
Last season, Ekitike underperformed his underlying numbers with 15 goals from an Expected Goals haul of 20.57. He was viewed as wasteful and inconsistent when in reality the big thing about the France forward was his ability to be in the right place at the right time. Few young forwards are elite chance-getters. Ekitike was and still is. He’s proven it in the Premier League this season.
He’s running a little hot right now with eight goals from an Expected Goals total of just 4.87 but, as shown in his shot map, he’s continued to be an elite-chance getter.
His goals have arrived in central areas in the penalty box. Of his 31 attempts in the Premier League this term, six have come from inside the six yard box.
Ekitike is posting these numbers while playing for an underperforming Liverpool team.
The 23-year-old has not just been the signing of the summer for the Reds but there’s an argument for him to be the signing of the summer in the Premier League. With Isak out for the foreseeable, he now has the opportunity to cement himself as the leading man for Liverpool and the best of the rest in the English top-flight outside of Haaland. If he fires Slot’s underperforming team into a title race, he’ll have justified the £69million outlay and the focus will remain firmly on why the Reds decided to follow up his signing with a big-money move for Isak. He’s gone from being the afterthought to the main man for the champions.