Hugo Ekitike

Can't think of any palindromic strikers that turned out any good. Do not want for that reason alone.
This one was pretty decent:
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Sign him up.
 
We’re being linked with him again today. I made a thread on him when he was at Reims I remember, and he’s had some troubles since then but has always been a talent. He’s about 6’4, has good speed and is starting to find himself again at Frankfurt.

Still only 22, and in a market very short on good 9s, he represents a good option. No guarantees in football, but the tools are there to develop into a top class striker. He has a bit of the Zirkzee about him, although is more of a proper centre forward with goalscoring instinct.
 
I'm assuming he'd be very expensive now if the Kolo Muani deal is anything to go by. Given his age, contract length and the fact Frankfurt have just sold Marmoush and are probably in a good position financially he'd probably cost more than any of the other names United have been linked with.
 
I like him and really felt he made a mistake going to PSG from Reims. He's only 22 and seems to be getting on track to fulfil his potential. He's who I would imagine Newcastle would target if they ever sold Isak, very similar player who's good running the channels or drifting into wide areas and uses his dribbling. If you look at his Fbref profile, he looks elite. Two problems I can foresee, strikers seem to do well at Eintracht Frankfurt but don't always do well once they leave. Plus they will demand a similar fee as Marmoush, which I don't think we will be willing to pay.
 
I like him and really felt he made a mistake going to PSG from Reims. He's only 22 and seems to be getting on track to fulfil his potential. He's who I would imagine Newcastle would target if they ever sold Isak, very similar player who's good running the channels or drifting into wide areas and uses his dribbling. If you look at his Fbref profile, he looks elite. Two problems I can foresee, strikers seem to do well at Eintracht Frankfurt but don't always do well once they leave. Plus they will demand a similar fee as Marmoush, which I don't think we will be willing to pay.

He rejected Newcastle before he went to Paris so definitely on their radar.
 
He or Emegha (much less polished) would be interesting, however can't shake the feeling that this squad doesn't need to spend big in this position just smart and we should be targeting an older striker around 26 years old with more experience.

Incidentally Johnathan David is 25 and available on a free this summer.
 
He or Emegha (much less polished) would be interesting, however can't shake the feeling that this squad doesn't need to spend big in this position just smart and we should be targeting an older striker around 26 years old with more experience.

Incidentally Johnathan David is 25 and available on a free this summer.
But he's not very good and isn't likely to get much better. He's also after a big signing on fee and wages far higher than he'd be worth. I'd say he'll get eaten alive at a club aiming to finish top 4 in the Premier league.
 
But he's not very good and isn't likely to get much better. He's also after a big signing on fee and wages far higher than he'd be worth. I'd say he'll get eaten alive at a club aiming to finish top 4 in the Premier league.

I see this view around here quite a bit and frankly I struggle to understand it.

Johnathan David is a good player who has consistently scored over 15 league goals ( a good total) in Ligue 1 (aparently the closest league to the prem in terms of physicality) across more than 5 seasons and been among the top three highest scorers in at least the last two.

Yes I get that he is not flashy (despite still being technically sound enough to play in any of the wide and central forward positions) but in a way his game is exactly the type we need as he has a habit of just being in the right place at the right time to put the ball in back of the net due to intelligent runs and good penalty box reactions/anticipation and finishing.

I don't see his signing on fee being anywhere close to the more than the 40 mil Lille would be entitled to ask for him if under contract and I think coming from Ligue 1 his wage is unlikely to be something which would worry us that much even though it would be elevated slightly due to him being on a free.

For what he would cost we would be getting a reliable intelligent goal scorer with a proven track record in a comparable league as well as a positionally flexible player and I really don't see why you think he would struggle at a top four side as he is probably exactly the type of player a side like Arsenal also need hence why he is currently being linked with the likes of Liverpool and Barca.

He would be a very shrewd signing in my opinion.
 
But he's not very good and isn't likely to get much better. He's also after a big signing on fee and wages far higher than he'd be worth. I'd say he'll get eaten alive at a club aiming to finish top 4 in the Premier league.
Valid points. The thing though with younger players is they are often inexperienced, not fully developed physiscally and not as much used to the high pressure environment that is football. Don't get me wrong, this is not a statement against younger players, of course we have to bring them in but we also have to make sure they come into an environment where the pressure on them will not be crazy big but the majority of the burden is shouldered by seasoned pros. Who know how to deal with pressure, with the lifestyle, with the league and so on.
I think amongst everything we are doing rather healthy in terms of adding young players to the team but we have to make sure that we don't overdo it. Right now we are lacking from peak players for every area in front of the defense. The only noteworthy player there is Bruno, the rest is clearly trending downwards or falls into the category of inexperienced.
This is not a plea for David by the way. I think, he would be a good addition but it depends heavily on the price. Adding another 22 year old like Ekitike to the roaster of already young and experienced striker would be a sign of bad squad planning in my eyes.
 
I think we should be pushing hard for Gyokeres or Osimhen (and probably even someone like Mateta thereafter) before we start looking at the likes of Ekitike or Sesko.

I'm not convinced we should be signing another young prospect up top this summer. I think we need to go with someone proven who is more of a sure bet to get into double figures in the league at the absolute minimum.
 
I see this view around here quite a bit and frankly I struggle to understand it.

Johnathan David is a good player who has consistently scored over 15 league goals ( a good total) in Ligue 1 (aparently the closest league to the prem in terms of physicality) across more than 5 seasons and been among the top three highest scorers in at least the last two.

Yes I get that he is not flashy (despite still being technically sound enough to play in any of the wide and central forward positions) but in a way his game is exactly the type we need as he has a habit of just being in the right place at the right time to put the ball in back of the net due to intelligent runs and good penalty box reactions/anticipation and finishing.

I don't see his signing on fee being anywhere close to the more than the 40 mil Lille would be entitled to ask for him if under contract and I think coming from Ligue 1 his wage is unlikely to be something which would worry us that much even though it would be elevated slightly due to him being on a free.

For what he would cost we would be getting a reliable intelligent goal scorer with a proven track record in a comparable league as well as a positionally flexible player and I really don't see why you think he would struggle at a top four side as he is probably exactly the type of player a side like Arsenal also need hence why he is currently being linked with the likes of Liverpool and Barca.

He would be a very shrewd signing in my opinion.
I see this view around here quite a bit and frankly I struggle to understand it.

Johnathan David is a good player who has consistently scored over 15 league goals ( a good total) in Ligue 1 (aparently the closest league to the prem in terms of physicality) across more than 5 seasons and been among the top three highest scorers in at least the last two.

Yes I get that he is not flashy (despite still being technically sound enough to play in any of the wide and central forward positions) but in a way his game is exactly the type we need as he has a habit of just being in the right place at the right time to put the ball in back of the net due to intelligent runs and good penalty box reactions/anticipation and finishing.

I don't see his signing on fee being anywhere close to the more than the 40 mil Lille would be entitled to ask for him if under contract and I think coming from Ligue 1 his wage is unlikely to be something which would worry us that much even though it would be elevated slightly due to him being on a free.

For what he would cost we would be getting a reliable intelligent goal scorer with a proven track record in a comparable league as well as a positionally flexible player and I really don't see why you think he would struggle at a top four side as he is probably exactly the type of player a side like Arsenal also need hence why he is currently being linked with the likes of Liverpool and Barca.

He would be a very shrewd signing in my opinion.

I don’t fancy myself as a scout so please take my opinion with a pinch of salt.

He is not particularly fast or tall or blessed with great skill.

Most of his goals seem to be him standing in front of the goal and someone passes to him and he taps or kicks it in. As someone who has watched Man Utd very closely during these recent years, we don’t really create lots of those type of goals. Our strikers have to run channels etc to create chances. David reminds me of Andre Silva or Jovic and I see a ceiling which is not very high.

I think he actually may be a good fit for Barcelona and should aim for a move to Spain (or maybe Italy). Barca have ultra talented MF and forwards who will create chances for him and he is an efficient finisher.
 
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I don’t fancy myself as a scout so please take my opinion with a pinch of salt.

He is not particularly fast or tall or blessed with great skill.

Most of his goals seem to be him standing in front of the goal and someone passes to him and he taps or kicks it in. As someone who has watched Man Utd very closely during these recent years, we don’t really create lots of those type of goals. Our strikers have to run channels etc to create chances. David reminds me of Andre Silva or Jovic and I see a ceiling which is not very high.

I think he actually may be a good fit for Barcelona and should aim for a move to Spain (or maybe Italy). Barca have ultra talented MF and forwards who will create chances for him and he is an efficient finisher.
I don't wanna turn this into the Johnathan David thread so I won't but I feel you are wrong here, you don't consistently score above 15 league goals a season by simply standing in the right place in front of goal. In his case it is the result of intelligent movement and good finishing two things united could do with as well as separate players to improve our approach play.

But we'll agree to disagree. :)
 
I don't wanna turn this into the Johnathan David thread so I won't but I feel you are wrong here, you don't consistently score above 15 league goals a season by simply standing in the right place in front of goal. In his case it is the result of intelligent movement and good finishing two things united could do with as well as separate players to improve our approach play.

But we'll agree to disagree. :)
No? Ian rush made a career out of it, as did the inzaghi boys
 
I think we should be pushing hard for Gyokeres or Osimhen (and probably even someone like Mateta thereafter) before we start looking at the likes of Ekitike or Sesko.

I'm not convinced we should be signing another young prospect up top this summer. I think we need to go with someone proven who is more of a sure bet to get into double figures in the league at the absolute minimum.

The whole ‘another young striker’ thing is misleading, I’d say. Not all young players are equal, and I’d argue that despite signing young strikers, we haven’t signed a Sesko for example, or Ekitike even. Hojlund was not of the pedigree as far as young striker talents go that Sesko is in. He was just a striker who was young, but I wouldn’t say he was seen as a world class talent by any stretch. Zirkzee similarly, he wasn’t really a striker at all.

Of course, there is no guarantee with any signing, but the strikers we have bought haven’t been from the very top shelf of young strikers. That is what Sesko would be, for example.
 
But he's not very good and isn't likely to get much better. He's also after a big signing on fee and wages far higher than he'd be worth. I'd say he'll get eaten alive at a club aiming to finish top 4 in the Premier league.
 
The whole ‘another young striker’ thing is misleading, I’d say. Not all young players are equal, and I’d argue that despite signing young strikers, we haven’t signed a Sesko for example, or Ekitike even. Hojlund was not of the pedigree as far as young striker talents go that Sesko is in. He was just a striker who was young, but I wouldn’t say he was seen as a world class talent by any stretch. Zirkzee similarly, he wasn’t really a striker at all.

Of course, there is no guarantee with any signing, but the strikers we have bought haven’t been from the very top shelf of young strikers. That is what Sesko would be, for example.

You're overrating Sesko
 
We don't need any more young attackers who still need to figure out how to tap into their potential right now. We need someone who can come in and lift the scoring burden on the three we've already got.
 
We don't need any more young attackers who still need to figure out how to tap into their potential right now. We need someone who can come in and lift the scoring burden on the three we've already got.

We need the right player. It’s that simple. That player may be 22, that player may be 26.
 
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I think we should be pushing hard for Gyokeres or Osimhen (and probably even someone like Mateta thereafter) before we start looking at the likes of Ekitike or Sesko.

I'm not convinced we should be signing another young prospect up top this summer. I think we need to go with someone proven who is more of a sure bet to get into double figures in the league at the absolute minimum.

You would think those two are our top targets, however if we fail to win Europa League then this guy and the likes of Mateta need to be in the conversation. I think David is a no brainer but only if we sell one of our forwards, otherwise don't see it happening.
 
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I’m not.
Sesko is still very raw and he offers nothing aside from good runs and good finishing. Without the Haaland comparisons (because Salzburg and similar physique) i dont think many people would link him with a top club yet.

Ekitike is developing great at Frankfurt and the comparisons with Isak are spot on imo.
Im not sure if he's mentally ready for the biggest stage though.

He will probably never be the biggest goal scorer, but his link up play, vision and passing are really good.
I think he could absolutely shine at a team with two goal scoring wingers.
Like Benzema between Ronaldo and Bale or Firmino between Salah and Mané.
 
Ektike’s game seems like a curious mix of wanchope (super languid), berbatov (ball control, outside foot) and martial (silky dribbles) all rolled in one for some weird reason. Physique seems slender thought his never bothered Son.

If his value is 40m-45 pounds I think it’s an okay price. Anywhere north of 50 million pounds is a risk. Then again, i might be wrong and he turn into Isaac II.
 
Sesko is still very raw and he offers nothing aside from good runs and good finishing. Without the Haaland comparisons (because Salzburg and similar physique) i dont think many people would link him with a top club yet.

Ekitike is developing great at Frankfurt and the comparisons with Isak are spot on imo.
Im not sure if he's mentally ready for the biggest stage though.

He will probably never be the biggest goal scorer, but his link up play, vision and passing are really good.
I think he could absolutely shine at a team with two goal scoring wingers.
Like Benzema between Ronaldo and Bale or Firmino between Salah and Mané.

I don't watch enough of him to agree or disagree with this. But if this is true, we should avoid going for him at this current juncture. Feels like similar attributes to JZ even if not the same type of player.
 
No? Ian rush made a career out of it, as did the inzaghi boys
Pippo made a career out of living orsay and the Demon was a technically polished second striker/playmaker more than a goal scorer(he never scored much), sort of a Thomas Muller
 
Another Frankfurt pump and dump? They’re a strikers organised crime entity at this point.
 
I’m not.
I dont get the hype with Sesko. He has ok numbers in the Bundasliga, which doesn't fill me with any confidence. 14 last year and on course for a similar haul this year.

I'm just sick and tired of project strikers or forwards who aren't chronic goalscorers. We really need a player of pedigree who has more output.
 
I dont get the hype with Sesko. He has ok numbers in the Bundasliga, which doesn't fill me with any confidence. 14 last year and on course for a similar haul this year.

I'm just sick and tired of project strikers or forwards who aren't chronic goalscorers. We really need a player of pedigree who has more output.

Sesko is just a name that has been around for a while and consistently been linked to top clubs.

The issue is that he's not really set the league alight, in the way which Haaland and the like have done so in the past.

There are times he scores a worldie and as usual it gets posted on social media and everyone then thinks wow... Sesko is the one, a top top player, then you dont hear anything for months.

What I have learnt with strikers from the past is you cannot judge a striker on numbers from a different league, or highlights. You have to watch 90 mins of the game. I can produce a youtube 3 min clip that makes Hojlund look 80m.

For me, above the goals its about the link up play, hold up, what kind of runs they make.. etc.. which can only be judged watching multiple 90 minute games.