Liverpool romped to the Premier League title at a canter in 2024/25, with Arne Slot’s side finishing with a comfortable ten-point advantage over closest ‘rivals’ Arsenal – all while lacking an in-form, recognised striker.
The unfortunate Darwin Nunez – now looking Napoli-bound – scored just five top-flight goals after reaching a new nadir in his Anfield adventure. It’s time for a fresh start.
Outside of the imperious Mohamed Salah, only Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo reached double figures for league goals, en route to that richly deserved triumph, albeit with neither man truly an orthodox centre-forward.
While 111-goal hero Roberto Firmino did previously dazzle as the false nine under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds have now endured a lengthy spell without a proper focal point in the attack, stretching back to the days of Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres before him.
Despite splashing out roughly £178m already this summer, that wait for a new number nine could finally be set to come to an end if recent reports are to be believed.
Liverpool lodge bid as striker search ramps up
Don’t mention Alexander Isak. Don’t mention Alexander Isak. Ah, but the Swede remains the dream target, with Empire of the Kop revealing that the Newcastle United man had been the ‘Plan A’ heading into the summer.
As the report notes, however, there is an acceptance that the 25-year-old will simply prove too ‘difficult’ to sign ahead of next term, not least with the Magpies unwilling to accept anything less than £150m for their in-demand talisman.
That realisation has seen Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike emerge as the ‘favourite’ at this stage, according to the report, with the £85m-rated Frenchman willing to wait for a move, as Liverpool bid to raise funds by making key sales first.
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Interestingly, however, Empire of the Kop also claimed that the Reds have also made a proposal to Napoli for Nigerian sensation, Victor Osimhen, with the Premier League champions ‘exploring the possibility’ of a player-plus-cash deal for the 26-year-old.
The suggestion is that Slot and co have offered Nunez and Federico Chiesa to the Serie A outfit, alongside a further £17m, in exchange for Osimhen, with the Italian side currently evaluating that bid.
With just a year left on his deal in Naples, having spent the previous season on loan at Galatasaray, the former Lille man looks destined to depart this summer. Anfield, it must be said, would be a perfect destination.
How Osimhen compares to Hugo Ekitike
First things first, those at Liverpool should certainly not turn their nose up at the prospect of Ekitike being chosen as Nunez’s replacement, with the 23-year-old fresh off the back of a stunning season in Germany.
Having overcome a spell on the periphery at Paris Saint-Germain, the dynamic forward has since emerged as one of Europe’s brightest talents, as his return of 34 goals and assists showcased in 2024/25.
He is unquestionably “one of the best strikers out there”, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson, with it no surprise that such form has alerted the interest of the Anfield hierarchy.
The difference is, however, that while Ekitike has blossomed over the past 12 months or so, Osimhen has repeatedly been delivering the goods over a number of seasons now. If anyone represents a sure-fire guarantee of goals, it is the Napoli outcast.
Shipped out to Turkey last season, the masked marksman scored 37 times in all competitions, alongside providing a further eight assists in just 41 outings.
Non-penalty goals
0.45
0.76
Shots
2.89
7.32
Assists
0.33
0.15
Shot-creating actions
3.34
3.81
Progressive passes
2.23
0.92
Progressive carries
2.34
1.83
Touches in attacking penalty area
6.23
9.92
Aerial duels won
2.56
4.27
In the Europa League, in particular, he was simply a menace, registering six goals and two assists in just seven games. Ekitike, for comparison, scored four goals and provided three assists in 12 outings en route to Frankfurt’s surge to the semi-final.
As indicated in the table above, while it is Ekitike who represents the more progressive passer and ball-carrier, Osimhen is a far superior figurehead, both in terms of his duel-winning prowess and prolific poacher’s instinct.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
That stellar season was no flash in the pan for Osimhen either. This is a man who boasts 76 goals in 133 games for his parent club; 18 in 38 for Lille; 20 in 36 for Belgian side Charleroi.
Only in Germany, during his goalless 17-game stint at Wolfsburg, has the wantaway striker failed to deliver, with a return of 151 goals in 264 club career games difficult to ignore. Again, for comparison, Ekitike – who is just three years younger than his centre-forward rival – has scored just 44 times in 136 senior club outings.
That’s not to discredit a player who is an undoubted talent in his own right, but at an intriguing time involving striker targets, Osimhen might well be the cream of the crop.
As Statman Dave has stated, he might very well be the “best striker on the market” right now…
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