Hugo Ekitike has been compared to Fernando Torres and not just because of his electric Anfield debut.
While all the biggest headlines this summer have featured the name ‘Alexander Isak’, the £79m fee agreed with Eintracht Frankfurt for Hugo Ekitike has quietly gone under the radar.
The Frenchman, however, is doing his best to bring the spotlight back onto himself and his Premier League debut did exactly that.
For rival fans that understandably would not have been watching Liverpool pre-season friendlies or even the Bundesliga last season, Ekitike is going to feel as if he has come out of nowhere.
The reality is, Ekitike is an elite player and after 22 goals and 12 assists in Germany last season, his goal and assist on debut against Bournemouth should not come as too much of a surprise.
Vintage Adidas long-sleeve, frosted blonde hair, white ankle tape: Ekitike or Torres?
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ben Foster suggested that there are some stylistic similarities between new signing Ekitike and former Kop favourite Fernando Torres.
“I put a little tweet out on Twitter actually said, ‘Is this prime Fernando Torres running around for Liverpool?’” he said.
Is it just me that thinks Hugo Ekitike looks like prime Liverpool Fernando Torres running round Anfield?!!!!?
— Ben Foster (@BenFoster) August 15, 2025
“And a lot of people saying, ‘Hold on, it’s his first game.’ I’m like, I don’t mean as a player. I mean, visually, he looks like Fernando Torres.’
“The way that he moves, the way he was running. He got that retro Liverpool shirt on. I thought he had a fantastic game.”
I wrote about the underlying numbers behind the goal and assist but it has since occured to me just how much better he was than most of the forwards in the Premier League this weekend.
Att 23, the sky is the limit for Ekitike.
Alexander Isak joining the club won’t be a hindrance despite what some have claimed. Ekitike can play as a second striker, on the left wing and will get his chances as a No.9 when Isak is rested.
Just as Newcastle wanted to do, Isak and Ekitike actually perfectly complement each other.
Both prefers the No.9 role but will drift onto the left-wing in search of space throughout matches. We saw this on Friday with Ekitike and Cody Gakpo switching position frequently.
Whether or not Ekitike can go on to do the things Torres did remains to be seen but he is quite clearly one of the sharpest forwards in England right now and a fantastic signing from Liverpool.