'Must have': Joe Hart thinks he knows the real reason Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike this summer

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Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has made a decent start to life at Anfield after his move from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer transfer window – and Joe Hart believes he knows just why the Reds signed him.Liverpool landed Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer transfer window after his breakthrough season at the Bundesliga club, where he notched 15 league goals.Arne Slot was in need of two strikers to join the club after the sudden passing of Diogo Jota and the sale of Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal, making Ekitike his first signing of the two – and he joined the Premier League champions before becoming their main striker to start the campaign.Hugo Ekitike began the season in fine form, registering a goal and assist on his league debut vs Bournemouth, before another strike in Liverpool’s following match against Newcastle.However, those minutes have diminished recently after Liverpool signed Alexander Isak, and Joe Hart believes Ekitike was signed in the event that Isak didn’t join.Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty ImagesJoe Hart says Liverpool had to buy Hugo Ekitike as a ‘worst-case scenario’Ekitike was on fire at Anfield before Liverpool had even signed Isak, but they opted for him anyway in a British transfer record fee on Deadline Day.Ever since Ekitike’s red card against Southampton for removing his shirt, alongside the international break where Isak was allowed to get up to match speed, Ekitike has only made 112 minutes’ worth of appearances, with Isak playing 174 minutes of football.That has shown pundits and fans who the clear first-choice is – and now Premier League icon Joe Hart has suggested that Liverpool only signed Ekitike because they weren’t guaranteed to land Isak as a result of their ongoing saga with Newcastle. Hart said on TNT Sports: “They had to get Ekitike, because they weren’t guaranteed to get Isak.“They must have, Ekitike was a lot further down the line, how old is he?

22?“They have someone they can mould.“They knew that in the worst-case scenario they got Isak in, they can get him better and work them together.”Liverpool having both Ekitike and Isak does throw up a conundrum for Arne Slot to work with.Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesHugo Ekitike form has given Arne Slot a huge Liverpool dilemmaLiverpool having both Ekitike and Isak throws up a conundrum for Arne Slot to deal with.On paper, Alexander Isak was the ideal striker for Liverpool to bring in given his record for Newcastle United in the Premier League, which reached 54 league goals in 86 games.That should have translated well to Anfield, with no time needed to acclimatise to the league.SeasonPremier League gamesPremier League goals2022-2322102023-2430212024-2534232025-2640However, one key aspect of Isak’s slow start is that Liverpool’s excellence means that teams play a lower block against them, where there is less space to run into against top-flight defences.That is where Ekitike thrives. The Frenchman has trickier feet, and can find those gaps to play his way out of trouble.There is no doubting the Swedish star will come good, given Isak was called the world’s best striker by Robbie Savage back in March, but in the immediate future it does paint an issue for Slot.