Ekitike will love him: £65m PL star wants to join Liverpool over Man Utd

[ad_1] Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion in a weekend that was dominated by speak of Mohamed Salah. That is nothing new, however the circumstances surrounding the Egyptian attacker definitely are.

The 33-year-old accomplished a lap round Anfield after the 2-0 win within the Premier League, much-needed after the problems all through the marketing campaign. He was the final one on the pitch, and emotion radiated from him.

However was that goodbye? It did not fairly really feel like goodbye. Salah is heading off to the African Cup of Nations now, and he will likely be absent for round a month. After his inflammatory outburst at Leeds United one week in the past, all of a Liverpool persuasion have been on tenterhooks as as to whether the membership legend will go away in bitter circumstances this winter.

Regardless, Liverpool might do with a brand new ahead, having struggled for fluency and collective steadiness this season.

Liverpool's January switch plans FSG imagine that one or two calculated signings this winter would go a great distance towards setting Liverpool's issues to rights. And given the membership's abject, error-prone defending, many are calling for a brand new centre-half.

However steadiness throughout the frontline is simply as essential, with Hugo Ekitike one thing of an outlier in hitting the bottom operating in entrance of aim this season. In July, the Frenchman, 23, left Eintracht and signed for Liverpool in a £69m deal, and he has scored ten objectives to this point.

Salah's ageing legs and the sale of Luis Diaz have impacted Slot's aspect, and FSG really feel that Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo might present the reply to a couple of their issues.

In accordance with TEAMtalk, Manchester United's curiosity within the Ghana worldwide is getting stronger, however Liverpool stay the frontunner, along with his desire being to affix the Anfield aspect.

<img width="1650" height="826" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Antoine Semenyo scores for Bournemouth " data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/antoine-semenyo-scores-for-bournemouth.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/antoine-semenyo-scores-for-bournemouth.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> Semenyo, 26, has been among the many Premier League's most in-form forwards this season, and Manchester Metropolis and Tottenham Hotspur are additionally on the point of current provides of their very own however Semenyo prefers a change to the present title holders. His £65m launch clause goes stay in a fortnight.

Why Semenyo might make Ekitike a famous person Semenyo's alliance of power and talent and efficiency within the last third has created a very particular Premier League star. His kind this season has opened the doorway to a big-money transfer to an elite membership, and pundit Chris Waddle has even known as him "one of the best winger within the nation".

<img width="1650" height="826" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="antoine-semenyo-bournemouth" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/mixcollage-25-nov-2025-09-44-am-2608.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/mixcollage-25-nov-2025-09-44-am-2608.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> A direct and dynamic wideman, Semenyo has that uncommon talent of two-footedness, comfortable on his proper or his left. Three of his Premier League objectives this season have been scored along with his proper foot, and the opposite three along with his left.

His unpredictability and fleet-footedness might assist take Ekitike, already in wonderful fettle, to the following degree. As per Sofascore, Semenyo has averaged 1.6 dribbles and gained 6.5 duels per top-flight fixture this season.

This might be the spark for Liverpool's new focal frontman, who's leaps and bounds above file signing Alexander Isak at this second in time.

<img width="1650" height="1376" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Ekitike Liverpool vs Brighton stats" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ekitike-liverpool-vs-brighton-stats.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ekitike-liverpool-vs-brighton-stats.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> Towards Brighton on Saturday, Ekitike scored a brace, his second in as many league outings. Not only a pinpoint striker, he's cellular and clever and electrical when on the ball. The whole bundle, and on his solution to changing into the participant Liverpool paid £125m for in a ready-made model in Isak.

By including width and power to Liverpool's flanks, Semenyo would create new pockets for Ekitike to shift into.

Already, the brand new recruit has made mincemeat of a lot of Liverpool's opponents, even in opposition to the backdrop of such drama and disharmony.

Maybe his likeness to the summer-sold Diaz underlines sporting director Richard Hughes' ambitions with this one. He's a participant who has the capability to thrive as a starring member of Slot's title-challenging crew, and teammate Justin Kluivert has known as him a "world-class" participant.

Premier League - Semenyo vs Diaz

Stats (per 90)

Semenyo (25/26)

Diaz (24/25)

Objectives scored

0.43

0.49

Assists

0.21

0.19

Pictures taken

2.29

2.66

Shot-creating actions

3.43

4.39

Touches (att pen)

4.43

6.27

Cross completion (%)

71.3

84.2

Progressive passes

3.65

4.13

Progressive carries

3.65

4.05

Profitable take-ons

1.64

1.99

Ball recoveries

5.00

3.94

Tackles + interceptions

2.00

1.73

Information by way of FBref

Ekitike, too, is lower from worthy material, and although it has been a tricky season for the Anfield aspect, there are indicators of a aspect stabalising, and this might make sure that Liverpool return to their finest kind.

<img width="440" height="364" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Liverpool-Inter-Jones-Mac-Allister-Isak-Konate-Van-Dijk-Szoboszlai-Gravenberch" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/liverpool-inter-jones-mac-allister-isak-konate-van-dijk-szoboszlai-gravenberch.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=220&h=182&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/liverpool-inter-jones-mac-allister-isak-konate-van-dijk-szoboszlai-gravenberch.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=220&h=182&dpr=2"/> Associated