"Less than 36 hours earlier, during his prematch news conference, Howe had admitted to trying to sign Ekitike on more than one occasion, with Newcastle's interest in the Frenchman dating back to January 2022 when he was still a relative unknown at Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims. "He has got a bit of everything," Howe explained. "He has great movement, can score with both feet, he's good in the air and dribbles with the ball really well. He is a big talent.""
"At the centre of it all was Ekitike, who has been nothing short of a revelation since joining the club from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69 million in the summer. The 23-year-old now has 15 goals in all competitions for Arne Slot's side this term, with only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland having bettered Ekitike's tally of 19 goal contributions in 2025-26."
Hugo Ekitike scored a brilliant double to inspire Liverpool's 4-1 comeback victory over Newcastle at Anfield, delivering Liverpool's first Premier League win of 2026 and ending a five-game winless streak. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe revealed long-standing interest in Ekitike, tracing it back to January 2022 when the player was at Stade de Reims, and praised Ekitike's movement, finishing with both feet, aerial ability and dribbling. Ekitike joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69 million and has emerged as a revelation, registering 15 goals and 19 goal contributions this season, behind only Erling Haaland in 2025-26.
Read at ESPN.com
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