Liverpool Legend Heaps Praise on £69m Summer Signing – “He’s like Thierry Henry!”

Many expected a summer of change at Anfield but nobody quite expected a summer of record-breaking signings and world-class arrivals.

Liverpool broke both their own transfer record and the British transfer record on two separate occasions this summer. First of all, Florian Wirtz joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £116m before Alexander Isak joined the Reds in a £125m deal on deadline day.

Now, because of the price tags attached to those two players and their proven world-class qualities, they were seen as the centre-piece of Liverpool’s business. However, the arrivals of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike are just as mouthwatering.

The latter of those names has already caught the eye of Liverpool legend John Aldridge who spoke exclusively to Anfield Index, courtesy of BetWright, and shared his excitement over Ekitike’s future at Anfield.

“He’s like Thierry Henry!”

Aldridge drew comparisons to an all-time Premier League great in Thierry Henry, emphasising Ekitike’s impressive performances in the early stages of his Liverpool career.

“He was quiet against Arsenal but I liked what he did for that goal where he really showed his striker instincts, even though it ended up being ruled as offside.”

“That’s how I got most of my goals in my career. Inside that six-yard box and latching onto those kind of chances.”

“One thing I do like about him is that he holds the ball up like an old-fashioned forward. He backs into defenders, which is like a dying art in the game right now.”

“His technique is brilliant too. He’s a bit like Thierry Henry in his earlier years and even if he turns out to be half of the player that Henry was then he’s going to be an absolute cracker.”

Of course, Ekitike will be keen to leave his stamp on his own authority and avoid comparisons to other greats. But it has to be said, it only compliments how highly he is rated already despite only arriving in England just over one month ago.

Liverpool’s Other Signings

As well as highlighting Ekitike, Aldridge was also keen to point out the importance of the other arrivals, such as Isak and Wirtz.

“I think the two forwards will be crucial. I like Ekitike’s movement and he’s still only a kid. He’s really, really good.”

“Florian Wirtz will be a great player but at the moment, he is just getting used to the Premier League. People expected him to light the world up straight away but he’s getting swamped in midfield and he’s finding it hard to find those little gaps and spaces.”

“Once he gets used to the Premier League, he really could be something special.”

Regardless of their immediate impacts, it’s fair to say that Liverpool have a roster of young, world-class attacking talent that can help maintain the club’s elite status for many years to come.