Newcastle United tried to sign Hugo Ekitike on three separate occasions before he joined Liverpool.
Had things worked out differently, Ekitike could have been wearing the colours of Newcastle on Monday night. But instead, he was in the red of Liverpool and scored to help inflict a 3-2 defeat on Eddie Howe’s side.
Ekitike struck just 20 seconds into the second half following a first half that saw Ryan Gravenberch open the scoring before Newcastle were reduced to 10 men when Anthony Gordon was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Virgil Van Dijk.
But despite having a man less, United managed to draw level. Bruno Guimaraes pulled one back before substitute Will Osula equalised in the 88th minute. However, it was another substitute that ultimately stole the headlines as 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored in the 100th minute.
Hugo Ekitike reflects on Liverpool’s win at Newcastle United
Speaking about the game, Ekitike told Viaplay: “Tonight was a very tough game. It might not be my favourite game to play, a lot of duels with the defender was a tough, tough fight. They play very aggressive but you need that kind of game.
“It is was a typical Premier League game. I need to improve that kind of game and that’s what I did tonight. I know I am going to have many more games like games.
“I had one chance to score and I scored one. I could do much better but most important thing is the win. We kept going.”
Hugo Ekitike rejected Newcastle United - three times
Newcastle were in talks to sign Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last month and even tabled a £69million club-record bid. But that prompted Liverpool to join the race and the rest, as they say, is history. And history with Ekitike goes further back than just this summer.
United had bids accepted by Stade de Reims for Ekitike in January 2022 and the following summer but the Frenchman rejected a move both time before joining Paris Saint-Germain.
But after just one season, Ekitike was banished by manager Luis Enrique and he subsequently missed both Champions League matches against Newcastle. That led to him joining Frankfurt on loan in January 2024.
Read More
And it was Germany where the 23-year-old began to fulfil his promise and after scoring 22 goals last season, re-emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers. Newcastle were the first club to make a move and were confident of making it third time lucky until Liverpool swooped in for a total transfer worth £79m.
“I think there's no doubting that I really like Hugo and have done for a number of years,” Howe admitted in the build-up to the Liverpool game. “He's someone that we've tracked for a long time. He's got really good qualities and I think he showed that in his first Premier League game. A very good debut against Bournemouth.
“He's got really good movement. He's intelligent. He's good in the air. He scores goals. Very good finisher. Scores off both feet. So, I think he's got a load of qualities that will serve him really well in the Premier League.”
Continue Reading