Arne Slot's summer overhaul stands as the most significant by a reigning Premier League champion in the competition's history.
The arrival of Florian Wirtz signals a reconstruction of Liverpool's midfield. Deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez mark the end of the renowned full-back pairing of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. However, the anticipated signing of Hugo Ekitike completes what is practically a full-scale revolution.
This team is no longer Jurgen Klopp's.
Yet, as the Bundesliga stars arrive, it intriguingly appears that Slot is steering Liverpool back towards his predecessor's philosophies.
Before analyzing how Ekitike might impact Slot's tactics, it's essential to examine the key statistics that justify Liverpool's decision to invest £69 million, with an additional £10 million in add-ons, in the 23-year-old.
Ekitike scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 31 Bundesliga games last season, ranking fifth in goal involvements in the league. He also participated in the fifth-most 'attacking sequences' in the Bundesliga.
This reflects Ekitike's comprehensive skill set, whether holding up the ball, exploiting channels, or making penetrating runs.
In many respects, he resembles Alexander Isak but with significantly more flair and a knack for dribbling past opponents.
He excels in creating opportunities for teammates, having generated more open-play chances (44) in the 2024-25 season than any other Bundesliga forward.
The only minor concern is Ekitike's finishing. He took 117 shots in the Bundesliga last season, the most of any player, but converted only 12.8%, resulting in an xG underperformance of 6.6 goals—the largest gap in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.
However, this suggests that Ekitike only needs a bit of refinement.
It's noteworthy that when Isak was the same age, playing for Real Sociedad in 2021-22, he scored just six goals in 32 league games, underperforming his xG by 3.8 and converting only 8.2% of his shots.
In an era where attacking transitions are increasingly crucial, Ekitike's intelligent assists, quick give-and-go moves, and line-breaking runs into the final third are all attributes of an elite modern number nine.
For instance, he led the 2024-25 Bundesliga in shot-ending carries (44) and ranked fifth in attempted dribbles (126), while also scoring more goals from fast breaks (4) than anyone else in the division.
This is why Ekitike's expected arrival signifies such an intriguing shift for Slot.
In his debut year, Slot tempered the more chaotic elements of Klopp's football to create a slower, more composed Liverpool, aligning with expectations for a manager who once described Pep Guardiola's teams as "the ultimate joy in football."
However, Ekitike represents a shift back in the opposite direction, potentially mirroring a realization recently experienced by Guardiola.
"Modern football is not positional," Guardiola told TNT Sports a few months ago, shortly after signing a direct, transition-focused forward in Omar Marmoush, Ekitike's strike partner at the time. "You have to ride the rhythm."
Slot, too, seems to be adapting to the evolving nature of modern Premier League football.
It's significant that Ekitike will arrive alongside another Bundesliga star, Germany international Wirtz, forming a new-look attack focused on incisive forward movement and a tendency to swiftly navigate through the thirds.
The two should work together superbly. Both are sharp one-touch passers between the lines, both love to attack the box, and both developed in fast-transitioning Bundesliga teams.
This represents a clear step change for Slot and, to some extent, a surprising return to Klopp's 'heavy metal' football days.
Is Slot Making Major Revisions to Liverpool's Formation?
Alongside Wirtz and the two new full-backs, Ekitike points to a different Liverpool setup.
In the 2024-25 season, 47 of Liverpool's 86 goals (55%) were scored or assisted by Mohamed Salah, who largely operated on the right wing as Alexander-Arnold moved centrally.
In contrast, Frimpong is a very attacking, wide right-back. This should alleviate some pressure on Salah, but it might also see the Egyptian move infield to support the new playmaker Wirtz, Liverpool's first proper number 10 in years.
Supporting this theory is Ekitike's history of playing in a strike partnership. He arguably excelled in a 3-5-2 alongside Marmoush at Frankfurt, frequently swapping positions in a fluid forward line.
He was also often playing in a pair at Reims, where he first gained recognition. Could Slot be planning something similar with Ekitike and Salah?
In a 4-2-3-1 formation, Frimpong's aggressive wing play on the right could allow Salah to drift inside and function as a split striker alongside Ekitike, with Wirtz and a number eight positioned just behind.
This would certainly be direct, dynamic, and linear, and would prepare Liverpool for a shift towards fast-transitioning football next season.
However, this is just one of the options available to Slot now that he has such a versatile number nine leading the line.
Ekitike can drop deep like Roberto Firmino or make runs in behind, play alone or in a pair, and adapt to transitional or possession-based football.
He is the real deal: a centre-forward of the caliber and tactical flexibility that every 'Big Six' club has been seeking.
Whether Slot continues with Guardiola-like patience or reverts to Klopp-like verticality, Liverpool's prospects of retaining the Premier League title have just improved.
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