Mo Salah successor at Liverpool shows ‘X-factor’ as Hugo Ekitike becomes ‘new darling’ for France | OneFootball

One of the players that Liverpool have identified as Mohamed Salah’s long-term successor starred on international duty, with the French media also raving about Hugo Ekitike.

Despite Mohamed Salah signing a new contract with Liverpool in April 2025, the defending Premier League champions are on the hunt for a long-term successor to the ‘Egyptian King’. The 33-year-old’s form this season has been underwhelming, too, with Salah finding the back of the net just five times in 16 appearances.

Among the players that Liverpool are looking at to replace Mo Salah with eventually is Michael Olise, the former Crystal Palace winger who has been a star for Bayern Munich since his move to the German club in the summer of 2024.

Olise has scored 27 goals and given 30 assists in 72 appearances for Bayern so far in his career and won the Bundesliga with the Bavarian giants last season.

The Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele reported on September 4 about Liverpool’s interest in signing Olise as a long-term successor to Mo Salah.

Journalist Alan Nixon and Bild reporter Christian Falk subsequently backed that claim, noting that while Bayern Munich do not want to sell Olise, they will not entertain talks for anything less than €100m (£87.2m, $117m).

Olise demonstrated on Thursday evening why Liverpool want him, with the France international winger starring for his national team against Ukraine in a 4-0 win at Parc des Princes in Paris.

The 23-year-old scored in the 76th minute, as France secured a place at the 2026 World Cup finals next summer.

Kylian Mbappe will steal the headlines for his two goals – including a Panenka penalty – and an assist, but Olise’s passing and ability to find his team-mates were key contributors to the win.

According to WhoScored, the winger took three shots, played five key passes, had a pass accuracy of 93.8%, and took 93 touches of the ball.

Olise made one tackle, two interceptions, and put in six crosses, too.

The French media was impressed with Olise, with FootMercato rating the Liverpool target’s performance 7.5 out of 10.

The report noted: “Hailed as Antoine Griezmann’s successor in the French national team, the Bayern Munich winger was the first to fire a shot at the Parc des Princes.

“A curling effort was saved by Trubin (4th minute). However, the rest of his performance was much less impressive.

“Closely marked by Mykhaylychenko, he initially struggled to make an impact, displaying uncharacteristic technical errors.

“Set up by Cherki, he ultimately won the penalty converted by Mbappe (55th minute).

“More precise after the break and repositioned centrally following Ekitike’s introduction, he showcased his technical ability and passing range.

“A much more incisive second half saw him spark the French team into life, as evidenced by his assists for Akliouche (69th minute) and Ekitike (71st minute).

“Found by Kante in the box, he further enhanced his performance by securing the win with a beautiful left-footed strike (76th minute).

“The X-factor. Substituted by Nkunku (89th minute).”

French media rave about Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike

Footmercato also hailed Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike for his goal for France against Ukraine.

Ekitike, who joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2025, did not start the match and came on as a substitute in the 67th minute.

The 23-year-old found the back of the net in the 88th minute for his first goal for France.

While noting that Ekitike is the ‘new darling’ for France, FootMercato observed: ‘Several young players made a real impact. But the one who truly captivated the Parc des Princes in just fifteen minutes was Hugo Ekitike.

‘Coming on as France picked up the pace, the Liverpool striker showed why Didier Deschamps had decided to give him this opportunity.

‘In a match that Les Bleus now controlled with ease, the former Paris Saint-Germain player brought energy, spontaneity, and above all, precision in the final third.

‘In other words, exactly what France had been lacking in a laborious first half.’

Meanwhile, Liverpool have joined Manchester City and Chelsea in the race for one of the best dribblers in Europe.