Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder #14 Desire Doue (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #29 Bradley Barcola (R) celebrate their team's first goal during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 8, 2026. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder #14 Desire Doue (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #29 Bradley Barcola (R) celebrate their team's first goal during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 8, 2026. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Hugo Ekitike has scored 17 goals since joining Liverpool for £79 million.
Hugo Ekitike has the qualities of two Paris Saint-Germain forwards, it has been claimed.
The striker joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for up to £79 million in the summer transfer window. And despite a disappointing campaign for the Reds, Ekitike has been one of the beacons of light.
He has scored 17 goals and recorded six assists for Liverpool in all competitions. Having expected to be back-up centre-forward to Alexander Isak, purchased for a British record £125 million from Newcastle United, Ekitike has surpassed plenty of expectations in his maiden campaign at Anfield.
The 23-year-old has broken into France’s squad and a contender to be a regular starter at the World Cup in the summer. He scored in Les Bleus’ 2-1 win over Brazil last week.
Ekitike has bounced back from an early setback in his career, having spent a year at PSG but struggled for minutes before being offloaded. And Samir Khiat, the owner of agency Horizon, reckons Ekitike is a blend of Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, who both helped PSG claim the Champions League last season.
Khiat said on L'Équipe du Soir (viale10sport): “Ekitiké is a player who's in great form, with impressive statistics: 17 goals and 6 assists. He combines the qualities of Doué and Barcola. He's capable of making runs in behind, covering a lot of ground at high intensity, playing one-on-one, and also combining well in tight spaces.
“On top of that, he's an atypical player; he's tall, he can play as a second striker alongside Mbappé. This also allows Mbappé to move into a preferred position if needed. He's truly a complete and rare player.”
However, Khiat suggested that Doue should start ahead of Ekitike for France on the left flank as they bid for World Cup glory. He added: “What surprises me is how short our memories always are. In France, as soon as we have a player who's doing reasonably well, he takes someone else's place. We need to remember what Désiré Doué is capable of doing in this team, especially on the wing. Ekitiké is interesting, but he's more central, involved in short passing. On the wings, I much prefer Désiré Doué, who, in my opinion, is far more intelligent in his play, in distributing the ball, and even in his finishing.”
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