Hugo Ekitike is starting to be a €145m PROBLEM for Liverpool and Arne Slot

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 20 Sept 2025 15:59 BST
• 5 min read

COMMENT

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has been so good in his early weeks at Anfield, he is starting to become a major problem for Arne Slot – and that is something that the 23-year-old admits delights him.

Ekitike arrived as an €80 million signing from Eintracht Frankfurt as part of a record-breaking transfer window this summer and has amply justified his lofty transfer fee.

Seven matches into his Anfield career, he has four goals and an assist to his name. The latest of these came as the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 Merseyside derby success over Everton. All this has been achieved in just 473 minutes on the field for his new club.

STATS

Hugo Ekitiké

F (C)

Liverpool

Hugo Ekitiké

F (C)

Liverpool

All Tournaments

2025/26

• 7

  Games

• 4

  Goals

• 1

  Assists

View all stats

Besides the freakish Erling Haaland, Ekitike has been arguably the Premier League’s outstanding centre-forward in the early weeks of the campaign.

But there’s a catch to all this. Waiting in the wings to take his place is British record signing Alexander Isak, who has been reduced to just a matter of minutes on the field after a disjointed pre-season at Newcastle.

When Isak arrived for the staggering €145 million fee, he would have had no doubts he would do so as the club’s front line No.9. Ekitike’s ongoing hot streak is making what appeared a formality an increasingly difficult decision for Slot.

The Dutchman had previously suggested that Ekitike could play wide on the left with Isak through the centre, but making such a move when Liverpool are looking so well balanced and boast a perfect six wins from their last six makes doing that a hazardous call.

An impending problem at Liverpool

Isak’s lack of form means Slot has not been faced with that problem yet, but it is only a matter of days away.

When questioned about it by TNT Sports after the game, Ekitike laughed the issue off: “It’s the coach’s problem, I just do my job!

“He’s a very good player. I watched him before I came here. I can learn and improve myself. I know we’re going to make a difference and hopefully one day we can share the pitch.”

Ekitike, though, would not have joined Liverpool had he known about Isak’s impending move, RMC have reported this week.

Nevertheless, the situation appears to be bringing the best out of the former PSG forward, whose Premier League scoring record through an admittedly small sample size of games is more impressive than that of the Swede.

With Isak getting strong day by day, Slot will face the increasingly difficult task of keeping both players happy. It’s a positive problem for him to have for now, but is the situation sustainable if Ekitike keeps banging them in?

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