To be fair, he’s 22 and spent a season and half on the bench for PSG behind players who cost them half a billon
2 Likes
I do think what Frankfurt are wanting doesn’t reflect what he has produced over a sustained period and feel he should be around the $50m mark.
I also have more trust in who we have managing our transfers more than before and especially when Darwin was bought.
As I have said from what I have seen, Ekitike offers more than just goals, his link up play, height, speed and dribbling skill provides more tools to our attacking output.
However, at $85m, it is a gamble, but Hughes and our scouting team know far more than we do and if they go for him I hope they get it right.
1 Like
TBF the price-tag Frankfurt have put on him isn’t so much a ‘we think this is a fair value’ and more a ‘we don’t want to sell and don’t have to’ amount… it’s basically make them an offer they can’t refuse.
2 Likes
Exactly, and that’s why I put what Frankfurt are wanting and they are perfectly in their right to do so, as we have the right to say no, which as Zoran put in another thread, is sometimes good then teams don’t think that they can have our pants down asking silly fees.
1 Like
If we get Ekitike, would happily go into the first half of the season with an attack of:
Gakpo
Salah
Ekitike
Chiesa
Wirtz
Doak
Danns
Ngumoha
Especially knowing that Szob and Frimpong can play RW and Jones LW if necessary.
We should have enough depth to give Danns, Doak and Ngumoha some game time to develop and expect that would benefit us in the long run over holding a disgruntled winger who will only be a distraction and isn’t our future. I expect Diaz to be professional, but this noise about wanting to leave will only get louder. If we get the right price, let him go.
For this to work we should probably be prepared to add someone in the 2nd half depending on their progress (youngsters). In the 1st half, regulars are still healthy, and no AFCON yet…
For the 2nd half, we should have a better idea of whether the kids need more time, are ready to contribute as depth or won’t make it but have elevated their value with appearances for us.
The thought of the likes of Elliott, who understandably wants to leave us due to playing time, really irks me when he is good enough to play.
I assume this is the answer.
2 Likes
From what they said, mostly Ekitike because Isak missed a lot of football already and seems to me like an introvert (whereas Hugo as a total extrovert), there’s seems to be a starting “we’re at a big club, it’s normal competition and we might also be able to play together” feeling.
But I do wonder how both of them genuinely feel about this situation. I’m pretty sure Ekitike and his entourage knew we’d still target Isak even when we signed him (whether we would succeed at it was in question though), but also what did Isak think about it when we went big for Ekitike.
I bloody hope it’s not only from next summer’s pre-season that we see a fully fit and firing Isak. We know there’s a very good proven PL striker in there and right now it’s very easy to love Ekitike (yes, I also like him, most of all his technique) and forget what Isak can do.
Maybe both the club and both players felt like, let’s go prove ourselves and battle it out to be the main man. For Ekitike, going from Eintracht, it can be a new attempt at making it at a big club. So less pressure than on Isak.
And if it comes to the point that both are doing well, but we cannot really make it work with two up top, there’s an “Alvarez” situation/sale after a certain time here.
That is more thinking long term for a second, because right now Isak is still lacking rhythm, form and alignment. Right now, short term should be our thinking.
In the pressing phase though, I wondered more around Ekitike’s pressing if he’s the #9 on the day, rather than Isak’s. And Slot then confirmed that it’s an aspect he needs to learn and add to his game. I’d like to see Isak’s pressing stats from Newcastle.
Figuring out how to get the ball to our striker would be a start.
4 Likes
Problem is at the moment none of those front 3 on Saturday are currently undroppable and yet they seem to be first on the team sheet. If he wanted to play Isak he should have gone Hugo on the left or even on the right.
We seemed to go ahead with our plans we had before we lost Jota, after his death.
Hugo could have done no worse on Saturday than Gakpo and Salah did. Ultimately it is on Slot but I sadly feel we will see the same side again( well u won’t my mate from work has said he can help me move Wednesday and it seems a more sensible use of my time) Perhaps Slot had a different side and setup down on Wednesday morning only to discover Bradley and Wirtz had issues. Oddest thing is every time I saw Wirtz for Leverkusen his best work was when he drifted to the right, I remember two runs which were Salah esque with goals on that side.
Imo we have to change style.
We are trying to play tippy tappy and have 40 touches in the opposing box before considering a shot. Since it does not work we end up crossing the ball (if we haven’t lost it and conceeded). But we don’t have TAA anymore and none of the crosses are dangerous.
And we get caught on the counter.
Nah! We just need to accelerate things. What we do isn’t tippy tappy it’s slow and boring. Up the tempo and things will work out.
Defending in a high block, suffocating teams (see Madrid & Villa), thus when we win possession back, we’re not doing so 80 yards from goal and can start build up with the players a lot tighter together.
Evvvvvvvvvveryone right up, no gaps unless it’s between Ali and the CB’s. Fuck it.
1 Like
What we’re currently doing is this, but with Vig and Ibou stood next to Alisson!
2 Likes
I’ve been thinking the same thing. We’re so slow at moving the ball across the pitch. And why can’t we miss a man every now and then?
1 Like
Yep I have banged on about this before and the supposed philosophy.
Robbo passes to Virg who passes it to Ibou who passes it to Conor, when Virg could easily miss out Ibou and pass to Conor.
The supposed philsophy is to work the opposition more, I say bollocks. If play is switched with 1 pass then the defence has to transition to that faster and work harder to get into position.
All it does by playing the ball around the back slowly is have the same effect on the opposition they can transition around the pitch slowly, conserving energy, whereas quick sharp interplay, penetrating passes and runs makes the opposition have to work harder.
This play copying how Brighton’s CB puts his foot on the ball drawing out attackers doesn’t necessarily work for us as the majority of our opponents in PL are happy for a draw, so don’t rise to the bait.
Against Forest the number of times I thought VVD could play a nice pass straight to Szoboszlai yet he just went to Ibou all the time with a soft slow pass who looks and plays a slow pass to Szoboszlai. I mean wtf give the opposition all the time they need. Not really on topic as it’s just possession not attack however if you don’t mix it up how can you pounce in attack?
The only thing we do relatively quickly in attack is a dribble then we tend to dribble too far missing all the passes that were available.
In a dangerous position we look for the pass. It looks absolutely crazy. 
We struggle to build from the back for two main reasons I can see:
1 - a lack of quality. Trent was the cheat code in seasons gone. The responsibility fell on him more than anyone else to get the ball forward quickly and he was world class at it. His replacements, Gravenberch, Konate…are absolutely miles off his level. He’s a top player and we miss his quality.
2 - too many players standing about in the front line instead of giving an option. Diaz would always show for the ball, Gakpo stands about waiting. The midfielders are playing too high.
https://x.com/LFCVine/status/1992721518392991793
This video shows both - Dom should pass it early, and for the rest of the time it’s 5 or 6 players standing on the edge of the oppositon penalty area without moving.
An absolute mess, terrible coaching.
1 Like