With the recent history of Bundesliga attacking imports into the Premier League, fans have every right to have some doubts over the idea that shopping in Germany would solve their team's goal scoring issues. The success of Erling Haaland aside, the likes of Timo Werner, Christopher Nkunku, Kai Havertz, and Sebastian Haller, never came close to their goal scoring prowess they showed when lighting up the Bundesliga despite their big transfer fee. The main reason possibly being the space they’re allowed as an attacker in the Bundesliga is vastly different in the Premier League.
In the Bundesliga, the smaller teams will often play a high defensive line, no matter the gulf in quality between the two teams. And these strikers’ best attribute was playing on the shoulder of the center back, taking advantage of the space in behind the defense. When they come to the Premier League, they find that most of the teams use a lower defensive line, instead operating in a mid or low block.
Because these strikers never faced opposition where they had to operate in tighter spaces, their finishing always came second to their pace and ability to beat the offside trap, and they were never able to adapt. But Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké is not of the same mold, and his technical ability, creativity, and finishing would be perfect for a Premier League side.
When Frankfurt sold strikers Luka Jović and Haller for a combined €113 million euros in the summer of 2019, they were certain they had made fantastic deals. They even turned around and bought Andre Silva for €3 million and made a €20 million profit on him in one season. However, with Ekitiké, they know they run the risk of selling one of the world’s best strikers.
Last week we published an article describing the role of a Deep-Lying Forward, highlighting strikers like Karim Benzema, Harry Kane, and Robert Lewandowski. Ekitiké fits this mold exactly. His 15 goals and 8 assists propelled Frankfurt to the Champions League, but it's his underlying final third numbers (important for any deep-lying forward) that prove his importance to The Eagles.
Hugo Ekitiké creates scoring opportunities, plain and simple
Despite being a striker, Ekitike ranked second in all of the Bundesliga for key passes. And what’s important to know about a Deep-Lying Forward is that they’re equally as capable with link-up play as they are with finding the net themselves. The former Reims and PSG attacker took the most shots in the entire Bundesliga, with the second most on target. In addition, Ekitike ranked second on Frankfurt for passes into the penalty area, proving he’s capable of dropping closer to the midfielder and finding a pass to one of his fellow attackers.
It doesn't end there, Ekitike’s output as a capable dribbler shows just how much of his team's offensive load he had to carry, especially after the departure of Omar Marmoush in January. He ranked first in progressive carries, carries into the final third, and carries into the penalty area on his team. These types of passing and dribbling numbers are not the type that you’d see of a player whose main goal is to use his speed to run in behind, ones that have historically struggled abroad.
In one of the best games of his professional career, Ekitike scored the first goal by rounding the keeper after controlling a tough pass with a defender draped all over him. Then hovered in front of Hoffenheim’s defensive line, allowing Hugo Larrson to ‘swap positions’ with him before playing a beautiful one-touch pass into the swede for Frankfurt’s second goal.
One of the most important qualities a Deep-Lying Forward needs to have is the ability to manipulate and use the space around him. With dribbling, movement, and vision, the DLF must be aware of both the opposition defense and his own teammates to create chances for both them and himself.
Ekitike shows that quality here by making a run facing the goal that pushes the defensive line deeper, then quickly turning around, shielding the defender and leading Mario Gotze to the ball simultaneously. A soft touch to Gotze caps off a package of moves that makes a DLF so important and impactful.
And like you’d see in the combination of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son, a DLF must have an expansive passing range to find an attacker that is close to goal.
At just 22 years old, Ekitike is not yet the finished article. But the collection of attacking abilities he has shown in his first season with over 30 league starts shows he is ready to make the jump and is capable of landing on his feet, something not often done with goalscorers from the Bundesliga.
Already showing similarities to fellow Frenchmen Karim Benzema and Thierry Henry with his ability to drive forward from deep accompanied with good vision and excellent finishing, teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal should not shy away from splashing the cash on what could be one of the best strikers of this generation.