When Hugo Ekitike was still a teenager at Stade Reims, the coaching staff prepared a development plan for him. They analysed the performances of Kylian Mbappe and then picked out two more players that Ekitike might realistically aspire to replicate.
"These were players with similar profiles from teams that were better than our team, but not at the distance Paris Saint-Germain were from us," Oscar Garcia, Reims' then head coach, told Sky Sports. "We challenged him to reach the level of the other two strikers."
On the face of it, that was a perfectly reasonable short-term target. Prior to his final season at Reims, Ekitike had not even scored a goal in France's top tier. He had spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Danish club Vejle Boldklub.
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Hugo Ekitike Frankfurt
Take a look at all of Hugo Ekitike's goals and assists from the 2024/25 season
He returned to Reims as the fourth-choice forward but soon forced Oscar to reassess. Soon after that, the two strikers whose level he had been encouraged to hit were no longer in his sights. "Within months, he wanted to reach the same level as Mbappe."
It is a tale that offers a glimpse into the mindset of the Eintracht Frankfurt forward who has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. In the past it was Newcastle. Now it is Chelsea and Liverpool considered among the next landing destinations.
"He always was a talented player but some coaches did not like him because of his profile and sometimes because of his character," concedes Oscar. "They were thinking he was a little bit arrogant. He always wanted to be compared with the best ones."
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HUGO EKITIKE TRANSFER TALK
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Ekitike is now beginning to justify those comparisons after a strong season with Frankfurt. With 22 goals in all competitions for the Bundesliga club, this was something of a breakthrough for a player who had looked set to shine a little earlier.
The move from Reims to PSG was a bold one given the competition. With Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi still at the club, Ekitike's minutes were limited. The majority of his appearances came off the bench. "Any striker would have struggled," says Oscar.
"But, for sure, he learned a lot and now he is a better player because of it." Frankfurt have long been shrewd operators in the transfer market and recognised that failing to shine amid the stars at PSG was no slight on such a talented young prospect.
How Denmark loan sparked rise
It was at Vejle where Ekitike says he first felt like a professional. The club's technical director Henrik Tonder has since admitted that nobody could have predicted his rise – but going there facilitated it. A conversation with coach Uzunea Dumitru confirmed that.
Speaking to Dumitru in 2022, he told Sky Sports: "His skill with the ball is amazing and he has speed for his size - he is 1.90m. His agility and his ability with ball is unbelievable. He is a smart player too. He can play as a striker or a link player.
"He came to Denmark without a lot of games in Ligue 1 so it was a big moment for him in his career. Sometimes in life it is very important how you build your steps and he chose very well with Vejle. I think he came to a good club. It had a good structure."
Following an initial loan last season, Ekitike made the move permanent last summer and kicked on significantly after turning 22 last summer. Under coach Dino Toppmoller, the football seemed to suit him and he was fundamental to Frankfurt's success.
Ekitike provided the impetus up front as they shrugged off the sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January to secure third spot, matching their best finish of the Bundesliga era, not achieved since the days when the great Tony Yeboah was leading the line.
Hugo Ekitike's heat map and shot map for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season
Image: Hugo Ekitike's heat map and shot map for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 season
During the first part of the season, he operated alongside Marmoush in a modern-looking strike partnership. It was not exactly a case of the big man and the little man. Instead, they both had freedom to roam into wide areas and shared the responsibilities.
That is because, despite being 6'3" tall, Ekitike is far from a traditional target man. "He is not a kind of a striker who will be always into the box waiting for a cross, he is very mobile and very difficult to mark." He likes to use his pace to run into the channels.
Hugo Ekitike's minutes by position for Eintracht Frankfurt show that he is a striker but can be used in wide areas
Image: Hugo Ekitike's minutes by position for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 season
The only player to score as many goals on the counter-attack as Ekitike in the Bundesliga this past season was Marmoush himself - indicative of Frankfurt's approach. But Oscar believes that the skillset is such that he can adapt if needed.
"He can fit with teams that play more counter-attack but also with teams with more possession, because he has the skill for both styles." That is what makes him an intriguing option for the elite clubs. There is a belief that there is much more to come.
Reims' Spanish head coach Oscar Garcia reacts during the friendly pre-season football match between Reims and Villareal in 2022
Image: Oscar Garcia coached Hugo Ekitike when the pair were together at Stade Reims
You do not find many strikers like him at his age. Oscar Garcia on Hugo Ekitike
"You do not find many strikers like him at his age. He is tall, fast, mobile, very good one against one, holds the ball and scores goals."
While his total of 15 Bundesliga goals represents his best return yet, that too might just be a sign of better things to come. Analysts will have noted that Ekitike had 117 shots in the competition during the 2024/25 season - more than anyone else, including Harry Kane.
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Ekitike actually significantly underperformed his expected-goals total. And while that statistic could be used to criticise his finishing, it also suggests that he is a player who is able to consistently get himself into scoring positions. Work to do. But lots to work with.
"All players can improve. He knows which aspects he can improve on but he also needs help to develop his potential to reach the level that all the people who know him believe he can reach. Individual work with him will be fundamental for his development."
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But that development is happening. Already quick and skilful, physically there are signs that he is learning how to use his frame to better effect, while mentally it was a positive for scouts that he stepped up when more was needed in the second half of the season.
After the PSG experience, Frankfurt was a smart choice, but it is the next move, the next page in his development plan, that will be fascinating. Is he now ready for that super club second time around? However big the target, Ekitike will back himself to hit it.
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from next season
Watch more Premier League matches on Sky Sports ever before with 215 games live of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
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From next season, Sky Sports' Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports