Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike has been linked with a move to England since the very early days of his career but a former Premier League and FA Cup winner has cast doubt over his ability to make the step up.
Ekitike is understood to be a target for Arsenal in the forthcoming summer transfer window, while previous interest from Manchester United and Newcastle United could add to the Frenchman’s options.
The 22-year-old started out at Reims, his home-town club, before an ill-fated switch to Paris Saint-Germain and subsequent move to Frankfurt last summer.
‘I think it’s probably too soon for him’
Despite averaging better than a goal every 45 minutes in the Bundesliga this season, Ekitike isn’t universally fancied to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit, a World Cup winner who is ranked at no. 95 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest Premier League players ever, thinks the Under-21 international needs to bide his time.
“Honestly, I’ve seen him playing for Paris Saint-Germain. He was a little bit too young to play for a huge club like Paris Saint-Germain,” Petit told pokerfirma.com
“Now he’s having a good time in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. I think it’s probably too soon for him to come to a top top club like Arsenal or Liverpool – I’m not sure if he’s ready to be the main man at a club chasing a Premier League title.”
Ekitike joined PSG on loan in 2022 and scored three goals in 25 appearances, starting just 12 Ligue 1 matches before his move was made permanent, reportedly because the capital club were obliged to sign him.
He played just nine minutes in the league as a permanent PSG player and was left out of their Champions League squad before moving to Germany.
Ekitike is enjoying a new lease of life and renewed attention from the Premier League.
Petit thinks a title-chasing team is beyond him but Newcastle, who’ve reportedly tracked him since he was at Reims, could be less of a jump.
“Could he be a good replacement for [Alexander] Isak if Newcastle let him go? Possibly, but it’s still a huge amount of pressure to replace a player like that,” continued Petit.
“It’s a similar situation with Manchester United. Can he carry the burden of scoring the goals for that club at his age?”
Petit’s former club, Arsenal, visit Everton this weekend as a packed month of Premier League action continues.
Ekitike will be looking to keep up his scoring rate in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Bundesliga clash against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
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