Ekitike's Recruitment Adds a Strong Bundesliga Feel to Liverpool

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY – Liverpool has officially announced the signing of new forward, Hugo Ekitike, from Eintracht Frankfurt, on Thursday (24/7/2025) morning WIB. Ekitike's arrival further intensifies the Bundesliga atmosphere within Liverpool. Prior to Ekitike, "The Reds" had already signed Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot appears to have inherited the player scouting network from Juergen Klopp. During Klopp's tenure as manager from 2015 to 2024, he had a highly active scouting network in the Bundesliga. Slot is utilizing that established recruitment system to strengthen the team according to his needs for the upcoming season.

"Liverpool has reached an agreement for the transfer of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike. The 23-year-old player has successfully completed his medical examination and agreed to personal terms with 'The Reds', allowing him to fly to Hong Kong to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour in Asia at the end of this week," stated Liverpool on their official website regarding the recruitment of Ekitike.

Ekitike is expected to help enhance the sharpness of Liverpool's front line. Mohamed Salah is aging. Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez has not yet proven to be a reliable source of goals for Liverpool. Furthermore, there are rumors that Luis Diaz will leave, and Liverpool has just lost Diogo Jota, who has passed away.

Ekitike is one of the most prolific players in the Bundesliga. The French passport holder scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 matches across all competitions last season. He also became the most dangerous player by taking 117 shots in the Bundesliga. No other player was able to match Ekitike's number of shots.

He is also very skilled at providing assists for his teammates. Ekitike recorded more chances created from open play (44 times) last season compared to other Bundesliga forwards. Thanks to his outstanding performance, Ekitike helped Frankfurt finish last season in third place in the Bundesliga.

Frankfurt seems to have struck gold with the successful sale of Ekitike. A report from BBC Sport states that Liverpool and Frankfurt have agreed on a transfer fee for Ekitike amounting to 79 million pounds (approximately 1.7 trillion IDR). A total of 69 million pounds has been paid upfront, with the remaining 10 million pounds to follow later.

In addition to Liverpool, Newcastle United was also interested in bringing Ekitike to anticipate the departure of Alexander Isak. Newcastle offered £70 million, but Frankfurt rejected the bid. "Hugo has developed significantly in the year and a half he has been with us. He has become a valuable asset for our team and the entire club, both on and off the field," said Frankfurt's Sports Director Markus Krosche as quoted by BBC Sport.

"We are very pleased that he can now move on to the next stage. A step that he achieved thanks to his performance with us," he said subsequently.

Bringing in Ekitiket at such a high price has inflated Liverpool's spending in this summer's transfer market. "The Reds" have spent a total of 250 million pounds (approximately 5.5 trillion rupiah).

Transfers of players from the Bundesliga have notably compelled Liverpool to incur significant expenses. Prior to Ekitike, Liverpool signed Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee reaching 116 million pounds (approximately 2.5 trillion IDR), which to date stands as the most expensive transfer record in the English Premier League. Meanwhile, Frimpong was acquired from Leverkusen for a cost of 29.5 million pounds (approximately 652 billion IDR).

Only Milos Kerkez, a recruit of Liverpool this summer, does not come from the Bundesliga. The left-back of Hungarian nationality was brought to Liverpool from fellow English club, Bournemouth. To acquire Kerkez, Liverpool had to spend up to 40 million pounds (approximately 884 billion IDR).

This step is considered unusual given that Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), typically tends to be cautious during each transfer window. Liverpool last spent a significant amount during the summer transfer window of 2023. At that time, Klopp aimed to strengthen the midfield by bringing in players of the caliber of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch.

Liverpool's activity in the transfer market has declined again in 2024. "The Reds" recorded no expenditure in the January 2024 and 2025 transfer windows. In the previous summer transfer window, Slot only spent 10 million pounds (Rp 221 billion) to bring in Federico Chiesa.

Liverpool's massive shopping activity this time can be interpreted as an effort to defend their English League title. In addition, Liverpool seems to be trying to send a strong warning to their competitors through this significant spending.