How can you say no? Hugo Ekitike found picking Liverpool over Newcastle ‘easy’
By Ian Parker, Press Association
Hugo Ekitike has revealed he chose Liverpool over Newcastle in the summer because he could not say no to the champions.
Newcastle made a move to sign the French striker from Eintracht Frankfurt as they tried to line up a replacement for Alexander Isak before agreeing to sell the Swede to Liverpool, but instead both forwards ended up at Anfield.
Some questioned how much playing time Ekitike could expect in Liverpool’s overhauled frontline but the 23-year-old was the quickest of their summer signings to make an impact, and his brace in last week’s 4-1 win over the Magpies took him to 15 goals in a red shirt.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Ekitike said it had been an easy decision to pick Liverpool.
“First of all because they are champions last season,” he said. “You can join the best team in England. How can you say no?
“And obviously the players, the style of play. I saw myself playing in this team, I was thinking it would look really good. For me that was the best choice. Really easy (decision).”
Florian Wirtz laid on the first of Ekitike’s two goals last week, and the two summer signings are developing a flourishing partnership. They have now combined for six goals in all competitions this season – more than any other combination of players in the top flight.
“I think they complement each other really well,” team-mate Alexis Mac Allister said on the Liverpool website. “They are both big talents, and I think everyone can see their quality.
“We can notice that they love to play one-twos and these kinds of things, which is really good because they can generate goals and assists in just a moment.
“So, I’m really pleased for them. I think they are showing how good they are. But as I said, I think as a team we still need to improve and that’s what we want.”
But while that partnership is flourishing now, Liverpool remains off the pace in the Premier League as they struggle to defend their crown. The scale of the summer overhaul contributed to a slow start as several players needed time to adapt.
There have been signs of improvement, but they will get a significant test on Sunday when second-placed Manchester City visit Anfield. Over the last few years, fixtures between the two were often pivotal in title races between the pair, but this time it is only City who can realistically catch Arsenal.
“They are in a good moment,” Mac Allister said of City. “They’re a really good team and they showed it against us at the Etihad (a 3-0 City win in November). I think we are a better team (than they were then) and we improved quite a lot from that game, but now we need to show it.
“We have our fans with us, which is going to make things easier. We are really looking forward to this game, and we want to win and show the fans what we can do.”
