Liverpool FC News: Hugo Ekitike confirms GENIUS Arne Slot move | OneFootball

Liverpool's transfer decisions this summer have mostly been risk-free, despite their expense.

Of course, no piece of recruitment business is every guaranteed to succeed and the season still hasn't started yet, but you can't help but feel encouraged watching the team in pre-season games.

🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range

🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨

LFC x adidas

Shop the goalkeeper range today

LFC x adidas

Shop the new adidas range today!

Jeremie Frimpong's move for £30m is considered a steal since he can cover a few different positions, the £45m spent on Milos Kerkez felt understandable after last season' extraordinary campaign and then you're left with Florian Wirtz's club-record fee - £100m plus £16m add-ons.

The German will have to do a lot before his fee is justified, but considering he's already viewed as being 'world class' at 22 years old, the signs are promising that he can be generational for us.

🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range

After that, the focus lands on Hugo Ekitike, who's move certainly a risk that Liverpool chose to take.

Slot's genius move with Ekitike

I say this a little tongue in cheek, knowing that I'm basing this opinion off a pre-season game and his £69m plus £10m fee was definitely an over-pay based on returns he's delivered at 23 years old.

But the Frenchman was particularly impressive on Monday night against Athletic Club, starting the game as the team's striker, since Darwin Nunez played and excelled in the Reds' earlier game.

The 45 minutes he played against Yokohama FM last week were particularly difficult to judge - it was his debut and the match was just a week after Ekitike joined the club. His appearance was more about getting used to what an Arne Slot team was like to play in, no one had any real expectations.

But at Anfield, the vibe was a little different, with a maturing team playing with a great freedom about themselves, now the social bonds between the players had been given a chance to develop. And it showed in the performance - you were left thinking, 'this team's potential is absolutely massive'.

One of the reasons behind such a feeling was the opening goal of the contest, created by Ekitike taking the ball down the left-hand side and driving a pass into Mohamed Salah's feet to finish off.

Not only did that moment give the fans something clear to look back on when it comes to working out why Liverpool felt the need to spend up to £79m on him, but it showcased how multi-functional a player he can be, which is going to be essential if the links with Alexander Isak actually materialise.

Ekitike was fielded as a striker and he had a couple of shots on goal that were threatening, but his ability to communicate with Cody Gakpo without any words needing to be exchanged, deciding to move into the space and set-up a scoring chance was incredible. It's everything you want to see.

Across his 57-minute appearance, he delivered two key passes, an accurate long-ball, two big chances created and two duels won from five. It's a friendly after all, but in my view, he proved that left-wing is definitely a position that he could play, and with relative ease, alongside moving centrally.

Isak's potential transfer might lead to Ekitike playing down the left-side a bit more, but he's going to be competing for his preferred position. It's only healthy that you aren't allowed to sit on your laurels.

So the Frenchman's flexibility appears to have made his transfer a genius move. Other strikers wouldn't be a comfortable at left-wing as he is and by signing Ekitike rather than a Benjamin Sesko or a Viktor Gyokeres, the Reds now have options, since Luis Diaz has left to join Bayern Munich.

Whether we see Isak join or not, the team will be fine. Ekitike was superb for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and I'm sure we'll see him flourish under Arne Slot, although I admit the Premier League is a very different animal to the Bundesliga; but the two could definitely play in the same front three.