It's happening: Liverpool will sign Thierry Henry 2.0

Yahoo

3 days ago

Liverpool are about to sign their new no.9. And they're getting the modern Thierry Henry.
It's now all but certain that Hugo Ekitike will join Liverpool. The striker, who appeared destined for Newcastle United a week ago, has permission to seal a transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Athletic is among many reporting that a deal has been agreed and it could climb to £79m. Liverpool have wanted a new striker all summer - it was their priority heading into the window, even if a deal for Florian Wirtz quickly usurped it.
They're now getting that player in Ekitike. Now, it's no secret that Alexander Isak was the dream addition but the French forward is absolutely a major coup here.
He's an incredible talent and one who could become a major superstar if all goes to plan. Thierry Henry 2.0, even.
From Thierry Henry to Hugo Ekitike
There are easy comparisons to make between Henry and Ekitike. They're both French forwards who initially broke into the senior game as wingers, earned a move to a major European club but failed to deliver, mainly because of factors that had nothing to do with their ability, before heading to England.
The only real difference in stories there is that Henry won a World Cup before joining Arsenal, while Ekitike had a stopover between his major European club and the Premier League.
Though we should say that, on paper, they are different types of player. Henry was blessed with sensational pace that Ekitike certainly doesn't have, even if he's not exactly slow.
On the other hand, Ekitike is a much taller, more physical threat than Henry was. And that's why it's easy to call him a more modern striker than his compatriot.
Strikers are tall, all-action threats. That wasn't the case in Henry's time, where centre-forwards typically had strike partners or were either target-man-style lone strikers or someone who played off the shoulder with electric pace.
The game has changed and virtually no one plays with two-man striker partnerships anymore. It's meant the centre-forward role has become far stricter in what makes it at the top level.
You've got to have pace, you've got to have ability with the ball at your feet, and you've got to have a physical presence. That's the modern elite striker and Ekitike is exactly that.
But there is a similarity between Ekitike and Henry, even with that massive difference. They're both left-wingers converted into central players who retain their desire to play in the left channel.
Ekitike wants to drift into that space, cutting inside and isolating defenders. That's his natural game, rather than operating within the confines of the box.
Above is Ekitike's 'expected threat' heatmap (courtesy of xfb Analytics). It essentially shows his most threatening positions with the ball - those from which he creates the best opportunities for himself and teammates.
So essentially, he wants the ball in that inside left channel. He'll drift to the wing, he'll drift to the very middle - but he wants the ball between the centre-back and full-back.
That's the Thierry Henry role. It's the one he popularised at Arsenal and became a world-beater with.
Ekitike wants to do the same thing, though in a more modern way as a focal-point through the middle. No, he's not got the same pace to create out of nothing but he's much more of a target for crosses and hold-up play.
That's what Liverpool hope for, certainly. The next great French forward in England? The Reds have banked on it and it's easy to see why.
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