Hugo Ekitike: From Reims to Anfield — Liverpool’s New Striker Has Arrived

Three games, three goals. Hugo Ekitike hasn’t just arrived at Liverpool, he’s hit the ground sprinting. A debut goal in the Community Shield, one in the opening day win over Bournemouth, and another against Newcastle in his second Premier league outing. It’s the kind of start that makes you sit up and think: this isn’t just a promising forward settling in; this is someone ready to lead the line right now.

But to really appreciate what Liverpool have got, you have to go back to where it all started.

Reims Roots

Born in Reims in June 2002, Ekitike joined his local academy as a kid and never looked back. He came through every age group at Stade de Reims before signing his first professional contract in 2020. By 18, he was making his Ligue 1 debut. A short loan in Denmark at Vejle gave him a taste of senior football, but it was back at Reims where he broke through, 10 goals in 26 appearances in 2021/22. For a teenager in a mid-table side, that return was special. He was Reims’ youngest player to hit double figures since the 1950s. Scouts were already circling.

PSG: Big Move, Small Minutes

PSG took the plunge in 2022, paying around €28 million plus bonuses after an initial loan. On paper it looked perfect: a French prodigy learning off Mbappé, Messi, Neymar. The reality? A nightmare for his development. He scored just four goals in 32 appearances across two seasons. Champions League chances were practically non-existent. Ekitike became an afterthought in a team too stacked with stars. The talent was still there, but he needed a platform to show it.

Eintracht Frankfurt: Career Reboot

That platform came in February 2024 when Eintracht Frankfurt brought him in. Away from Paris, away from the spotlight, he thrived. Fifteen Bundesliga goals in 33 games later, he’d been named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and, crucially, proven he could deliver consistently.

The numbers tell the story: 0.67 non-penalty xG per 90, 7+ touches in the opposition box per game, and a constant presence in dangerous areas. He wasn’t just scoring; he was getting into elite positions, over and over again. It was the kind of statistical profile you usually only see with Europe’s best forwards.

Liverpool: Statement Signing

Liverpool didn’t hesitate. In July 2025, they paid up to €95 million to get him, handing him a six-year deal. It was a statement: this wasn’t a squad option, this was the new No.9.

And what a start he’s made. Three goals in three games, linking seamlessly with Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, two other headline arrivals who’ve added a completely different dimension to Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Ekitike looks calm, clinical, and most importantly, like he belongs.

His numbers already look strong: 1.3 xG and 0.3 xA across his first two league matches, averaging close to five shots per game. He presses hard, he holds the ball up, he brings others in. It’s not just the goals; it’s the all-round centre-forward play Liverpool have been crying out for since Firmino’s peak.

Can He Sustain It?

That’s the big question. Premier League defences will figure him out eventually, and the physical demands of the season are unforgiving. But based on what we’ve seen so far, the ceiling is high. Twenty league goals isn’t out of the question. In all competitions, you could easily see him hitting 25–30 goal involvements if he stays fit.

Of course, the transfer story hanging over everything is Alexander Isak. The Newcastle striker has made it clear he won’t play for them again and wants Liverpool, which makes this one feel closer to a matter of “when” rather than “if.” Still, football rarely deals in foregone conclusions.

If Isak does arrive, the question shifts to structure. Does Ekitike get pushed wide to accommodate him, or does Slot rotate them? Playing Ekitike out of position, say off the left or as a second striker, could blunt what makes him so effective: his penalty-box timing, his central positioning, his ability to work off defenders’ blind sides. Asking him to log heavy minutes in wide channels could affect not only his numbers but also his long term fitness. He’s 23, still adjusting to the Premier League’s demands, and shifting him out of his natural role risks overloading him physically at exactly the moment he’s settling.

But there’s another side to it. Slot could view them as complementary rather than competing. Isak is a more complete No.9, strong in the air, capable of dropping deeper, while Ekitike thrives on movement, pressing, and sharp finishing. In certain systems, especially against deep blocks, the two could work together in a twin 9 shape, or with Isak pulling defenders and Ekitike ghosting into space. It would give Liverpool an unpredictability they haven’t had in years.

The reality is, if Isak comes in, Ekitike’s projected tallies and minutes take a hit. But it might also extend his career curve: less burden, less pressure to carry the line every single game. Either way, what he’s done in these opening weeks has changed the conversation. He’s no longer “the striker until someone else arrives.” He’s already earned the right to be part of whatever comes next.

Final Word

From Reims prodigy, to PSG benchwarmer, to Frankfurt revival, and now to Liverpool star. Hugo Ekitike has already lived through the ups and downs of a career, and he’s still only 23. Three games, three goals. The early signs say Liverpool’s €95 million gamble wasn’t a gamble at all.

And whether or not Isak walks through the door at Anfield, Ekitike has shown he belongs. If they end up together, Slot has the chance to build one of the most dangerous strike pairings in Europe. If not, Liverpool still have a striker around whom they can build the next era. Either way, this doesn’t feel like a stop gap, it feels like the beginning of something serious.

By: Emma Robinson | @emmz_rob

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / FEP – Icon Sport