Breaking The Bank For Bundesliga Star Hugo Ekitike Is A Massive Gamble
He carries the look of an NBA forward, but Hugo Ekitike isn't drawing attention from the basketball world. Instead, the French striker is subject to a mega-money transfer to one of European soccer's big heads after a bright few months with German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
According to multiple reports, Premier League team Chelsea is considering an overture for the 22-year-old. And, as of Wednesday, German outlet Sky Sport includes newly-crowned English champion Liverpool in the running (German), with a €100 million ($113 million) price tag doing the rounds.
In the league campaign recently finished, Ekitike averaged just under one goal per league appearance for third-place Frankfurt, scoring 15 in 33. He perhaps should have notched another seven or eight; WhoScored says he underperformed his expected goals by 7.55. All the same, they are decent numbers and show a player often involved in scoring situations.
The appeal is clear. Ekitike is young, has an enviable physical presence at 6 foot 3, and attributes to give him a lofty ceiling in the game. However, for a talent so raw, as they say, he must get the right coaching at the right club at the right time. At present, he could struggle to work the same extra yard of space or pace at the highest level in England, where such margins prove the difference between setting the world alight or not.
As is the case for many players, opinions on Ekitike will vary. Before linking up with Ekitike at Frankfurt, World Cup champ Mario Götze said, 'I think he has abilities that not many players have, with his dribbling, his speed, and his finishing—so he can certainly help us a lot.' It was an accurate forecast, as the number 11 became a dynamic cog in the front line.
He's also taken criticism. 'Honestly, I've seen him playing… He was a little bit too young to play for a huge club like Paris Saint-Germain,' said ex-France star Emmanuel Petit after an interview relayed by FourFourTwo and others last month. 'Now he's having a good time in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. (But) I think it's probably too soon for him to come to a top top club like Arsenal or Liverpool.'
Spending around €100 million ($113 million) on Ekitike would be a serious commitment from Chelsea, Liverpool, or whoever snaps up the goal-getter should he leave 2022's Europa League winner.
Both mentioned sides can upgrade with a reliable striker; regular spender Chelsea needs to ensure no wasted money amid profit and sustainability rules, while Liverpool knows its last significant center-forward investment, Darwin Núñez, didn't return the rewards it sought. If either hits the jackpot, it will have a marketable talent to help bring the riches of Champions League soccer season after season.
The fact anyone will probably have to stump up a nine-figure sum to land Ekitike shows how blown up the market is today. There are only so many top-billing center-forwards, and that's the going rate, even for a forward who's only enjoyed two noteworthy seasons—at Reims and Frankfurt—in Europe's major leagues.
Is a significant outlay naïve, or is Ekitike an ace in the pack over the coming years? To find the answer, an admirer needs to get the checkbook out.
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