While Alexander Isak may be Liverpool’s ideal target for the No. 9 role, their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike certainly makes sense.
With the help of our partners at FotMob, we looked at what Ekitike offers and why he could be Liverpool’s Isak alternative.
Chart-topping goalscorer
While Liverpool’s analysis is far more refined, with Harvard graduate data scientists and vast teams of scouts and analysts, a quick search highlights why Ekitike would stand out.
No striker aged 23 or under across Europe’s top five leagues scored more than the Frenchman in all competitions in 2024/25.
Ekitike scored 22 goals in 48 appearances across the Bundesliga, Europa League and the DFB-Pokal, which is one more than the second-highest, fellow Liverpool target Benjamin Sesko.
No under-23 striker scored more than 20 and the only others to net more than 15 were PSG’s Goncalo Ramos (18) and Rennes’ Arnaud Kalimuendo (18), with Ligue 1 considered the weakest of those top five leagues.
Underperforming his xG
A striker’s rate of expected goals (xG) is viewed as a closer representation of what he can offer in the long term – which may encourage Liverpool when it comes to Ekitike.
While he scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga last season, his xG rate projected him to score 21.67 (-6.67), meaning despite his outstanding campaign he underperformed based on the quality of chances he was provided.
It may seem ridiculous to suggest this is a positive but in terms of a striker’s trajectory – particularly at his age, turning 23 in June – this should indicate that, all being well, his goal rate will only improve.
A stark comparison can be made to Darwin Nunez, who outperformed his xG in his final season at Benfica with 26 scored and only 18.03 expected (+7.97), before underperforming with 25 from an xG of 33.72 (-8.72) in his three seasons in the Premier League.
Interestingly, Isak slightly outperformed his xG in the Premier League last season with 23 goals from an expected 20.42 (+2.58).
A creator as well as a scorer
Ekitike’s quality comes not only in his ability to find the back of the net, but also in involving himself in buildup play, comfortable dropping deep to pick up the ball and kickstart moves.
Last season he averaged:
- 1.54 chances created per 90 (84th percentile for strikers)
- 76.4 percent pass accuracy (85th percentile)
- 1.82 dribbles per 90 (93rd percentile)
He is clearly a player who thrives off all-round play, rather than simply finishing attacks, and that showed in his eight assists in the Bundesliga.
Where Ekitike will need to improve
There is a consensus that Ekitike is not yet the finished product, and at his age that is no surprise, but with a price tag of €100 million (£85.6m) Liverpool should realistically expect him to be.
Despite standing at 6’3″ the feeling is that he could still put himself about more and dominate defenders when it comes to duels.
Ekitike only won 40.9 percent of his duels in the Bundesliga last season, and 46 percent of those in the air, which ranks him in the 43rd and 67th percentile for strikers respectively.
He did, however, win possession in the final third 0.7 times per 90 on average, ranking him in the 75th percentile – more than Isak (0.59), while a similar rate to Nunez (0.72) and Diogo Jota (0.68) at Liverpool, but lower than Luis Diaz (0.82).
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