Hugo Ekitike: Liverpool new striker signing shows Arne Slot may be shifting towards Jurgen Klopp tactics

Arne Slot's summertime reshuffle was already the astir important by a reigning Premier League champion successful the competition's history.

Florian Wirtz's accomplishment points to a reconstruction of the Liverpool midfield. Deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez people the extremity of the celebrated full-back pairing of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. But the expected accomplishment of Hugo Ekitike is the last flourish that makes it practically a full-scale revolution.

This is not Jurgen Klopp's squad immoderate more.

And yet, arsenic the Bundesliga stars record in, it curiously looks arsenic though Slot is taking Liverpool connected a travel backmost towards his predecessor's ideas.

Before we see however and wherefore Ekitike volition person an interaction connected Slot's tactics, it's worthy looking astatine the header numbers to amusement wherefore Liverpool are prepared to walk £69m, with £10m successful add-ons, connected the 23-year-old.

Ekitike scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists successful 31 Bundesliga games past season, totalling the fifth-most extremity involvements successful the division. He was besides progressive successful the fifth-most 'attacking sequences' successful the Bundesliga.

That tin beryllium interpreted arsenic showing the prime of Ekitike's all-round game, whether holding up the ball, moving into channels, oregon bursting successful behind.

In that respect – successful astir respects, successful information – helium is precise akin to Alexander Isak, albeit with considerably much flair to his crippled and a penchant for taking players connected successful the dribble.

He is peculiarly adept astatine mounting up team-mates, too, creating much chances signifier unfastened play (44) successful 2024-25 than immoderate different Bundesliga forward.

The lone flimsy interest is that Ekitike is simply a small earthy successful beforehand of goal. He took 117 shots successful the Bundesliga past season, much than anyone else, but converted a disappointing 12.8%, starring to an xG under-performance of 6.6 goals – a bigger spread than immoderate different subordinate successful Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

But that conscionable means Ekitike needs a small tuning up.

It's worthy thing that erstwhile Isak was the aforesaid age, playing for Real Sociedad successful 2021-22, helium scored conscionable six goals successful 32 league games, under-performed his xG by 3.8, and converted conscionable 8.2% of his shots.

In an epoch erstwhile utilising attacking transitions are of expanding importance, Ekitike's astute assists, his give-and-go moves, and his line-breaking carries into the last 3rd are each hallmarks of the elite modern fig nine.

As a lawsuit successful point, helium topped the 2024-25 Bundesliga charts for shot-ending carries (44) and ranked 5th for attempted dribbles (126), portion besides scoring much goals from accelerated breaks (4) than anyone other successful the division.

That's wherefore Ekitike's expected accomplishment represents specified an absorbing displacement for Slot.

In his debut year, Slot tamed the wilder aspects of Klopp's shot to make a slower, calmer Liverpool, surviving up to wide held expectations of a manager who erstwhile described Pep Guardiola teams arsenic the "ultimate joyousness successful football".

But Ekitike represents a displacement backmost the different way, possibly reflecting a akin realisation to the 1 that precocious struck Guardiola.

"Modern shot is not positional," Guardiola told TNT Sports a fewer period ago, not agelong aft signing a nonstop and transition-centric guardant successful Omar Marmoush, Ekitike's striker spouse astatine the time. "You person to thrust the rhythm."

Slot, too, appears to beryllium making concessions to the mode modern Premier League shot is changing.

It's telling that Ekitike volition get successful the aforesaid summertime arsenic different Bundesliga star, Germany planetary Wirtz, forming a new-look onslaught built connected piercing guardant question and an inclination to weave done the thirds arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

The 2 should harvester superbly. Both are crisp one-touch passers betwixt the lines, some emotion to clang the box, and some were sculpted successful fast-transitioning Bundesliga teams.

That is simply a wide measurement alteration for Slot and, to an extent, a astonishing crook backmost towards the 'heavy metal' days of Klopp.

Along with Wirtz and the 2 caller full-backs, Ekitike points to a antithetic Liverpool set-up.

In 2024-25, immoderate 47 of Liverpool's 86 goals (55%) were scored oregon assisted by Mohamed Salah, who ran the close helping astir connected his ain arsenic Alexander-Arnold drifted inside.

By contrast, Frimpong is simply a precise attacking, precise wide right-back. That should instrumentality immoderate of the unit disconnected Salah, but it mightiness besides spot the Egyptian determination infield to enactment the caller creator-in-chief Wirtz, Liverpool's archetypal due fig 10 successful years.

Adding value to that mentation is Ekitike's past of playing successful a onslaught partnership. He was arguably astatine his champion successful a 3-5-2 alongside Marmoush astatine Frankfurt, with whom helium regularly swapped positions successful a fluid guardant line.

He was besides much often than not playing successful a 2 astatine Reims, wherever helium made his name. Could Slot beryllium readying thing akin with Ekitike and Salah?

In a 4-2-3-1, Frimpong's assertive helping play connected the close could escaped Salah to drift wrong and run arsenic thing similar a divided striker alongside Ekitike, with Wirtz and a fig 8 sitting conscionable behind.

That would surely beryllium direct, dynamic and straight-lined, and would surely beryllium acceptable for a crook towards fast-transitioning shot adjacent season.

But it's conscionable 1 of the options disposable to Slot present helium has specified a versatile fig 9 starring the charge.

Ekitike tin driblet similar Roberto Firmino oregon get successful behind, tin play unsocial oregon successful a two, and tin play transitional shot oregon successful a possession-centric side.

He is the existent deal: the centre-forward of the calibre and tactical dexterity beauteous overmuch each 'Big Six' nine has been looking for.

Whether Slot continues with Guardiola-like patience oregon swings backmost towards Klopp-like verticality, Liverpool's chances of retaining the Premier League rubric conscionable improved.