Hugo Ekitike could’ve just checked into the Rosewood hotel and crashed after his 6,000-mile flight from London to Hong Kong in July. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to dive straight into those soft sheets and shake off the jet lag? But Ekitike had other plans. Instead of heading to Liverpool’s fancy digs on Victoria Dockside, he made his way to Kai Tak Stadium. He wanted to set the right tone from day one—and that meant football, not rest.

The crowd of 25,000 at the open training session didn’t see it coming. Suddenly, there he was—Liverpool’s newest £79m signing—being introduced on the pitch, meeting his new teammates for the first time. You could feel the buzz. That moment said a lot about Ekitike. He’s not the type to let big opportunities slip by. From the second he landed in Asia, he looked determined to hit the ground running.

Now he’s got fifteen goals this season. If he keeps it up, he’ll be Liverpool’s first top scorer not named Mohamed Salah since Coutinho, way back in 2015. And it’s not like he’s had it easy. Salah’s form has been up and down, and Isak’s been in and out with injuries, but Ekitike has picked up the slack. Anfield’s noticed.

What’s interesting is how relaxed he stays under all this pressure. People who know him talk about his easygoing nature—always friendly, always upbeat. The results don’t seem to shake him. That hug with the canteen staff that went viral? That’s just Ekitike being himself. He stands out on the pitch, too. He’s got a bold sense of style and an Instagram feed that keeps his teammates laughing. He’s not trying to fit in—he’s just himself, all the time.

After the 6-0 win over Qarabag last week, he summed it up in his own words: “I’d say my start’s been good. Sure, I could do better—or worse—but I’m happy. The big thing for me was settling in off the pitch with my teammates. That matters. Everything I do with them, even training, helps me play better. I’m happy, but I want more. I expect more from myself, so I’ve got to keep working.”

He joined Liverpool the same summer as Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, both ex-Bayer Leverkusen guys, and they’ve become tight. Another important figure? Ibrahima Konate, his French national teammate and a few years older, has helped show him the ropes.

Konate shared a story on Canal+ that kind of sums up Ekitike’s work ethic. After a tough training session, they were supposed to hit the gym. Ekitike was wiped out. Konate told him, “Come on, let’s go.” Ekitike groaned, “I’m dead.” Technically, the gym session was optional, but Konate pushed him: “Do you want to play for the French national team or not?” A minute later, Ekitike was in the gym. Konate laughed about it, but he made it clear—Ekitike’s diligent, and he’s only going to get better.

Liverpool first got in touch with Ekitike’s agent, Karl Mwalako Buchmann, around January. Arne Slot spoke to Ekitike at the end of the season. There’s this idea that Liverpool swooped in and beat Newcastle at the last minute, but inside the club, they say the groundwork started way earlier.

Talking about it before the Newcastle game, Slot said, “I spoke to him—that was my part. I don’t know all the details of the negotiations, honestly. My focus was on the team and getting ready for pre-season. But I talked to Hugo early in the window and tried to convince him to join us, and then Richard Hughes, ownership, and Michael Edwards—they all got it done. We’re really happy he’s here. I can’t tell you everything about how it went, but in the end, he’s a Liverpool player.”

Wirtz and Ekitike have really started to click over the past few months. Together, they’ve become the youngest Liverpool duo—23 and 22—to link up for six Premier League goals. No other pair in the league has managed that this season, not even Haaland and Doku at City.

“Playing with Hugo is just fun. He’s a great guy, and honestly, we go way back to our Bundesliga days,” Wirtz says. “We swapped shirts when he was at Frankfurt, and I already knew he was good, but he’s surprised me here. He’s even better than I thought. He gets how I move, we connect naturally on the pitch, and it just works.”

Jamie Carragher stirred things up this week, saying, “I think Ekitike is a better player than Fernando Torres.” When people started comparing the Wirtz-Ekitike partnership to the old Torres-Gerrard link, Carragher added, “Maybe he won’t score as many, but Torres needed Gerrard at Liverpool." Ekitike doesn’t have to lean on Wirtz the same way—but if these two keep it up, he could match Torres for goals.”

Footballers are a superstitious bunch, and Ekitike’s got his own routine now. Every time Liverpool arrives at a new ground, you’ll spot him soaking in the atmosphere, FaceTiming family and friends so they know where he is. It’s his thing, and honestly, it seems to be working.

When Liverpool scouted Ekitike for the summer shortlist, the data showed only Haaland and Mbappé had better numbers at his age in the areas Liverpool cared about. That’s some serious company. Sure, some people roll their eyes at those comparisons, but the club really believes Ekitike has the potential to become one of the world’s top strikers.

Behind the scenes at Anfield, people are impressed by how quickly he’s settled in. But now comes the hard part: staying consistent and building up the stamina to handle playing three full matches a week in the most demanding league around.

With Isak out after breaking his leg—he never really got going this season anyway, thanks to missing pre-season and the messy exit from Newcastle—Ekitike has led the line as a classic No. 9. Still, the coaches see him as versatile enough to play deeper or out wide as needed.

Eventually, there’s a real chance he and Isak could form a frightening partnership up front. Remember, Isak became the most expensive player in British football on September 1 with that £125 million move.

Ekitike’s brilliant first season has made some people question why Liverpool even bothered signing Isak. But there’s room for both, especially looking ahead to life after Salah—whenever that day comes.

For now, though, the spotlight’s firmly on Ekitike. And he looks like he belongs right at the centre of it.

Liverpool is now locked in a race with Real Madrid to sign a “very explosive” young star, and honestly, they’ve got a pretty big edge over the Spanish giants.

After splashing the cash last summer, January turned out to be pretty quiet for the Reds. They only brought in Jeremy Jacquet at centre-back, but the Frenchman isn’t joining up with the squad until the summer.

Arne Slot’s team hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. They’re sitting in sixth, and with Champions League qualification still up in the air, there’s a sense of uncertainty around Anfield. Even so, Richard Hughes remains confident that the recent signings will prove their worth.

“All these players are here for a very good reason—they’re top quality,” Hughes said. “Everyone played a part in getting them here, and we were all happy with our work in the summer, not just me. If you get the right players, and we’re convinced every time we bring someone in, the performances will come.”

Maybe that’s why Liverpool kept things low-key this winter. But they’re still hunting for reinforcements and now find themselves up against Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Arsenal for AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit.

The financial muscle of the Premier League gives Liverpool an advantage over Madrid in this race for the Dutch midfielder.

Bence Bocsak, a journalist who’s watched Smit closely, called him a “fantastic signing” for Liverpool. “He’s exactly the kind of midfielder who would thrive in a ball-dominant team because he’s so progressive on the ball. He’s also very explosive—he can accelerate and change direction from a standstill, which is rare and seriously underrated.”

Smit, born in Heiloo, has been crucial for AZ Alkmaar this season. He’s got two goals and two assists in 18 Eredivisie games, plus he’s averaging 1.6 key passes per match—the third-best in the squad.

So, Smit would be an exciting addition to Slot’s team this summer. Still, there’s another option: Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who’s already proven himself in the Premier League and apparently wants to join Liverpool. That move might feel a little less risky.