2 weeks ago
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Liverpool's new striker, Hugo Ekitike, has made a remarkable start at Anfield, impressing many, including former Reds forward Djibril Cisse.
Ekitike, who transferred from Eintracht Frankfurt in July, emulated Cisse by scoring on his Premier League debut and has seamlessly integrated into the team.
The 23-year-old opened his league tally with a goal in a home victory against Bournemouth, followed by another in an away triumph at Newcastle just a week later. He continued his scoring spree with goals in a league win over Everton and a Carabao Cup success against Southampton, although a red card for his celebrations against the Saints slightly marred his record.
"I was a little scared that he wasn't going to play much, but I was wrong," Cisse told GFFN when asked about Ekitike. "He's playing, he's doing good, he's scoring goals.
"He's bringing different options to Mo Salah and Alexander Isak. He's a really good player. I know him from France. I knew he had the quality to perform, but to be honest, I wasn't expecting him to be that good, that quick."
Ekitike joined for a substantial transfer fee, albeit one overshadowed by the record-breaking £125 million ($167 million) paid for Isak on transfer deadline day.
Cisse acknowledges that manager Arne Slot might have a tricky task balancing the two strikers, but there are worse dilemmas to face.
"I think if Ekitike stays at this level and continues to score goals when he has the chance to play, then it's going to be difficult for the manager to choose, but that's football, that's the beauty of football," the former France international added.
"The season is long, but as long as Liverpool have a striking force that scores goals and wins games, Salah can have a down period, so Ekitike can help. You need all your strikers at the top for the entire season, and it's a good thing to have strikers who score goals."
One factor for Slot to weigh up is Salah's forthcoming absence at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Egypt star could be unavailable for multiple fixtures while on international duty, with the Pharaohs beginning their tournament in Morocco on December 22, creating opportunities for Ekitike and Isak to feature more regularly in the same attacking unit.
Liverpool manager Slot has been impressed with what he's witnessed from Ekitike, but was left exasperated following the Southampton match. Ekitike's second yellow card came for taking off his shirt after he celebrated netting the winner, and the forward was absent for the league loss at Crystal Palace as a consequence.
"It is always the best to control your emotions, and if you can't then do it in a way that doesn't lead to a yellow card," Slot said.
"So I think I said when I got my red card against Everton that's always stupid because you can show your emotions but if it leads to a yellow or red then it's, to a certain extent, stupid."
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