95 million new center! Liverpool buys new Isac or Nunez second?

Liverpool is eye-catching in this exciting summer transfer window. With the successive signing of new players such as Wilz, Flynnon and Kelkez, the lineup of the Premier League giants has been significantly enhanced. However, on Wednesday night, the Reds' summer signings ushered in another big news - they announced that they had successfully introduced new center Ekitika, pushing the transfer fee to more than 300 million euros. Ekitika, who is only 23 years old, is from Frankfurt, Bundesliga and has signed a long-term contract with Liverpool until 2031. There are some differences in media reports regarding Ekitika's transfer fee. According to Italian journalist Romano, the total transaction amount may be close to 95 million euros, including a fixed fee of 80 million euros and a floating bonus of 15 million euros; while Sky Sports in Germany said the fixed fee of the transaction is 90 million euros and the floating part is 5 million euros. The common saying of British journalists is that Liverpool paid Ekitika a fixed fee of £69 million, plus a floating bonus of £10 million. Although the details of each party are different, no matter what, the impression is that the transfer fee of this new Red Army aid is indeed not low. Because of this, Ekitikai's arrival has aroused dissatisfaction and concern among some Liverpool fans. Many people were originally looking forward to Isaac in Newcastle, but they welcomed the young forward from Frankfurt, and the transfer fee was so high that some fans were full of doubts, worried that he would become the second Nunez.

This kind of worry is not unreasonable. After all, Ekitika's career has not yet fully proved his worth. He has never even played for the French national team, but has only participated in the French U21 youth team competition. Although he gradually emerged in Frankfurt, he only started to break the silence last season. Last season, Ekitika scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga, scoring a total of 22 goals in all competitions, becoming the team's top scorer. However, he scored the same goals as his teammate Malmush, who had already transferred to Manchester City in January this year.

What is even more worrying is that Ekitika's goal efficiency is not ideal. Judging from the data, his expected goal (xG) value is 21.67, while the actual goal count is only 15, and the gap between goals and xG is -6.67, which means he has obvious problems in seizing opportunities. Even his shooting conversion rate is only 13%, which seems relatively low among Liverpool's forwards. Nunez's shot conversion rate was 15%, winger Luis Diaz's 18%, while Salah's conversion rate was even higher, reaching 22%. In comparison, Newcastle's Isaac had a 23% shooting conversion rate last season. Such low shooting efficiency casts a shadow on the prospect of this heavy signing.

However, while Ekitika's goal efficiency issues are obvious, comparing him to Frankfurt's past sold strikers may not necessarily lead to a clear conclusion. Frankfurt has indeed successfully sold many forwards to a good price in recent years, but the development of people like Jovic, Andre Silva, Alley, etc. has not met expectations. Despite this, Marmush still maintained an upward momentum. For Liverpool, although it faces certain risks, this signing is not worthless. Especially at the moment, Liverpool urgently needs a strong center to make up for the lineup, especially when Jota is absent due to injury. Nunes had obviously lost his main position last season and could not play an important role in Slot's tactical system, so Liverpool turned to Ekitika.

Interestingly, this transfer is actually quite dramatic. A few years ago, Newcastle was very interested in Ekitika. At that time, he also played for Reims in the Ligue 1. As a young player who just emerged, he scored 10 goals in a single season, which quickly attracted the attention of European giants. However, Newcastle failed to do so, and Ekitika finally chose to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since Paris has superstars such as Neymar and Mbappe, Ekitika did not get too many opportunities to play, so in early 2024, he chose to leave Paris and join Frankfurt on loan. After just one season, Frankfurt chose to buy him out, with a transfer fee of 16.5 million euros, and Paris also received 20% of the transfer income from it.

So, is it worth it or not to sign Ekitika for nearly 100 million euros? From a potential perspective, Ekitika is a very talented young forward. He is 1.89 meters tall, slender, and has excellent skills under his feet. Although his speed cannot be comparable to some top forwards, his height and long legs also give him a certain advantage in speed. What is more noteworthy is that Ekitika's idol is French striker Benzema, and his playing style is somewhat similar to Benzema. Some experts have commented on Ekitika: "He likes to assist teammates who create opportunities for him." In fact, Ekitika contributed a total of 12 assists in 48 games last season in Frankfurt, which is excellent for a striker.

Ekitika's arrival is obviously quite consistent with Liverpool's playing style. In the Reds' offensive system, the winger is the most critical offensive point, Salah has the highest offensive authority, and Hakepo and Louis Dias are also able to contribute key goals. Under such a system, as a center, the ability to pass and support is more important than a simple shot. Judging from the data, Ekitika's high-intensity pressure in the absence of the ball is also quite eye-catching. Last season, he had 15.3 high-intensity pressures every 90 minutes, which is slightly higher than that of Liverpool. Overall, Ekitika's running ability and offensive awareness make him an ideal candidate for Liverpool's center position.

Under Slot's tactical system, Ekitika's potential is expected to be further explored. Although his current shooting conversion rate still needs to be improved, with his excellent skills and awareness, he is still a striker to look forward to. In the future, Liverpool may be able to reap huge returns from this investment.