Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 has explained why he opted for Liverpool ahead of Newcastle United, insisting the move was a personal decision aimed at rebuilding his standing after a productive season. Newcastle, described as long-term admirers, renewed their interest after Ekitik\u00e9 recorded 15 goals and eight assists last season. They pursued him as a replacement for Alexander Isak but ultimately missed out when Liverpool secured his signature and then completed the signing of Isak on Deadline Day.<\/p>\n
A \u20ac90 million (\u00a378.4 million, $105.7 million) move to Anfield brought immediate scrutiny, but Ekitik\u00e9 said the timing and fit mattered more than outside noise. “It was my choice, it\u2019s what I wanted,” Ekitik\u00e9 told Canal+. “Because I had more of a feeling coming here and I knew it was the right time and the right place for me. I wanted to get back to the top level and come back this time better equipped, more ready in all aspects. And I don\u2019t think I made a mistake.”<\/p>\n
He also addressed the weight of his transfer fee and his approach to expectations. “I don\u2019t care,” he said bluntly. “I\u2019m just focused on the game.<\/p>\n
“Outside, everyone can talk about the transfer price. It is what it is. Football has changed. You have a big transfer on your back? Play football.”<\/p>\n
Ekitik\u00e9 has produced a strong start, returning four goals and an assist from his first seven games, a form that presents manager Arne Slot with a selection dilemma once Isak is fully fit. On his own consistency and public perception he added: “Obviously, seen from the outside, [my form] can be shocking, but it doesn\u2019t shock me,” he laughed. “I was in a dynamic where I was also making good stats last year and I\u2019m in a good team that seems good to me. I want to be a player who has consistency.”<\/p>\n
For now, Ekitik\u00e9 says he backed himself with the Liverpool move and is letting his performances answer the questions around the transfer and competition for places.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ekitik\u00e9 chose Liverpool to rebuild after 15 goals; four goals and an assist in seven games. In 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175,969],"tags":[195,299,938],"class_list":["post-2994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liverpool","category-premier-league","tag-alexander-isak","tag-arne-slot","tag-deadline-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}