The beIN Sports pair disagreed over Hugo Ekitike opting to sign for Liverpool over Newcastle United in the summer transfer window.
Ekitike moved to the Reds from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee of up to £79 million. Last season, the striker scored 22 goals for the German side, helping them finish third in the Bundesliga and qualify for the Champions League.
Ekitike has made a bright start to his Anfield career, scoring three goals in his opening five matches. However, the newly-capped France international may find himself down the pecking order once Isak is fully fit after he finally made the switch to Liverpool on summer transfer deadline day. The Reds smashed the British transfer record as they paid Newcastle United a fee of £125 million for the Swede.
Newcastle had been interested in Ekitike before he opted for Liverpool. But former Everton striker Gray reckons that the 23-year-old perhaps made the wrong choice. Speaking on beIN Sports before Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Burnley, Gray said: “If you’re being sold to a team like Liverpool, and Ekitike was being, okay, Newcastle were in the asking.
“Ekitike’s joining Liverpool, he speaks to them, he certainly would have asked them: ‘What’s your plans for me? What do you see me doing?’ and I can’t believe he joined the team after being told: ‘Well we’re going to sign you, but after we’ve got you, we’re going to buy Alexander Isak for double the price you’ve cost, so you’re going to play a few games, but you won’t play quite as much as you might expect.”
However,Richard Keys - the host of beIN Sports - challenged Gray’s claim. He insisted that Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes would have made plans clear to Ekitike given there was already speculation about also signing Isak.
Keys said: “I can't believe him and his agent hadn't read a newspaper or we unaware of Liverpool's interest in Alexander Isak. I am certain Liverpool said to them, Richard Hughes and maybe Arne Slot, you'll play half the matches. We have 70 games, you'll play half of them so we want you to come and play. If I've got a choice of joining Newcastle of the league champions, one of the best, if not the best, team in Europe right now, I know where I'm going.”
Ektike has already addressed Isak’s arrival at Liverpool and it seems that he’s fully on board with having to battle for a starting spot. Speaking while on France duty earlier this month, the 23-year-old said: "When you play for the best teams, you inevitably expect to be competing with the best players,
"Isak is a player I used to watch, so seeing him arrive is a pleasure. It's going to be tough competition, but I'm going to work hard to be good and perform well so that it's just the coach's problem.”
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