New Liverpool recruits Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz have been encouraged to emulate another potential Anfield addition in Alexander Isak by enhancing their physical strength.
The current Premier League champions shelled out nearly $265 million for the duo earlier this summer. The Reds secured Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in June for an initial $135M plus a further $22M in possible add-ons.
That was followed by an agreement potentially totaling $107M to bring in Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last month. Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili are among the other high-profile arrivals at Liverpool as Arne Slot aims to retain the title.
Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak is also eager to join, despite the Magpies rejecting a $149M offer from their rivals. Isak has since reportedly informed Newcastle he will never play for them again. Former Manchester United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster has now suggested that Ekitike and Wirtz need to follow Isak's example, but in terms of bulking up, rather than stirring any sort of drama on Merseyside.
The ex-England international expressed concerns about their slight build after observing the pair start in Liverpool's penalty shootout loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday. Wirtz provided the assist for Ekitike's opener for Liverpool in the fourth minute, though Palace remained composed and the match concluded 2-2, before the Eagles triumphed 3-2 on spot-kicks at Wembley.
Nevertheless, Foster reckons their physical stature could pose challenges after drawing comparisons to Isak, who he praised for grafting to enhance his physical presence since his Premier League arrival in August 2022.
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United (14) arrives
Ben Foster reckons Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz need to follow Alexander Isak's example (Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Speaking on the Fozcast podcast, Foster said: "Sometimes I look at the physical build of players and I think Ekitike and Wirtz both look a little bit lightweight at the minute. I used to think this about Isak as well.
"When he first signed for Newcastle, I used to look at him and think, 'I don't know if you're going to be able to deal with the physicality of the Premier League.' Over the last couple of years, he's really worked hard on that side of it, and he seems to have put a bit more muscle on.
"He looks like he now knows how to use his body and keep players away. But just thinking about Wirtz and Ekitike, I need to see them put a little bit more muscle on before they can really hit the ground."
Foster believes Isak would thus serve as an ideal template for Ekitike and Wirtz to emulate. The Swedish forward's prospective move to Liverpool has become one of the Premier League's most enduring transfer stories this summer.
Hugo Ekitike celebrates scoring against Crystal Palace
Despite Foster's concerns, Ekitike and Wirtz did show some chemistry on Sunday in the Community Shield (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Despite his impressive physique, Isak has faced questions over his attitude after seemingly severing ties on Tyneside in an attempt to engineer a departure. Meanwhile, Wirtz and Ekitike were spotted swiftly discarding their runner-up medals following Sunday's defeat to Palace.
The gesture was interpreted as a telling indication of Liverpool's profound dissatisfaction with losing and their refusal to settle for anything less than first place this campaign. Upon his arrival at the club in June, Wirtz admitted he had joined solely to claim the biggest honours.
"I would like to win everything every year," the 22-year-old said. "First of all, we have to do our work. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious."
Echoing those sentiments during his own unveiling, Ekitike said: "Obviously Liverpool are already on the top, but we have still things to reach. That's why we want to be the best and need to improve every season to go and reach the success."