Hugo Ekitike's playstyle shares similarities with Arsenal great Thierry Henry, but it would be a surprise to see him line up at the Emirates next season, Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.
The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker is rumoured to be on the Gunners' radar as sporting director Andrea Berta considers various options for the number nine position in the 2025-26 season.
Arsenal have not made serious headway in talks for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko or Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, although Ekitike could prove slightly more expensive than the duo at a rumoured price of £85m.
Amid apparent interest from Chelsea and Liverpool too, Watts does not expect Arsenal to go all out for the Ekitike signing, but he can envisage Mikel Arteta "ramping up the pressure" on the transfer team to finally get a new striker through the door.
“It's so hard to answer, because I'm just so in the dark about it," he said. "I can't believe we're in July now, and we're still none the wiser when it comes to the striker. The Ekitike stuff, I struggle to believe that for now, just because Frankfurt have been so insistent that he's going to cost about £85m. He'd be more expensive than either of the other two.
“I just struggle to see a way that Arsenal would suddenly pivot away from Gyokeres or Sesko and spend more money on another striker who hasn't really been at the front of the queue for them. I might be proven wrong, we'll have to wait and see on it.
Watts plays down Ekitike to Arsenal transfer links
Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike pictured on March 2, 2024
“But right now, I still feel that Gyokeres and Sesko, it’s going to be one of those two, unless Frankfurt massively drop their price tag. And even if they do, I think there's other clubs who've been chasing Ekitike for far longer than Arsenal.
“I've said this before, but I would be stunned if we get to the end of the next fortnight and there's not a clear picture finally on what Arsenal are doing when it comes to the striker, because they're back in pre-season next week. Mikel Arteta will be smacking the doors down at London Colney saying, ‘what's going on?’ He will be really ramping up the pressure on those above him now to get this deal done.
“He’ll want them in the group as quickly as possible to start the adjustment that they're going to need. I would be so, so shocked if in a week, certainly two weeks, if we don't have a real clear picture of what they're going to do with the striker.”
Ekitike's two seasons at PSG were highly forgettable, as the Frenchman managed just four goals in 35 matches for the current European champions, but he has blossomed into a lethal striker and creator in Germany.
The 23-year-old had a direct hand in 34 goals from 48 matches in the 2024-25 season - 22 of his own and 12 assists - and he also has five goals to show from as many games for the France Under-21 side.
However, players transferring from the Bundesliga to the Premier League do not always hit the heights they managed in Germany; Timo Werner and Kai Havertz - while a good servant to Arsenal - are prime examples.
'Ekitike plays in a similar way to Henry'
Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike pictured on May 4, 2025
Ekitike's former teammate Omar Marmoush has enjoyed a strong start to life at Manchester City, though, and Watts believes that Arsenal's recruitment team should be trusted to make the right decision whichever way they go.
“You would hope that the recruitment department, whoever they end up signing, have done enough work on it that they are very confident that he will be able to adapt," Watts added. "You'd expect it would take some time for any player, especially a young player like Ekitike or Sesko.
“But they'd have put so much work and analysis into this, I'm sure they'd be very, very confident in whoever it is they do bring in would ultimately prove to be a success in the Premier League. I like what Ekitike has. His attributes, the pace, the ability to run in behind as well. He obviously loves Thierry Henry, he's one of his idols, and he kind of plays in a similar way in terms of drifting in from out wide, getting into the central areas.
“But I'd just back the recruitment team in this situation. If they think they're the guy, then fingers crossed they would come over here and they wouldn't be another Timo Werner.”
Separate to their search for a new striker and winger, Arsenal are thought to be pushing hard for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, and Watts also explained why the 27-year-old would be tailor-made for the Gunners.
> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Arsenal's interest in Ekitike
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