When Hugo Ekitiké first appeared on the skilled soccer stage, the younger Frenchman was a diamond within the tough plying his commerce for Stade de Reims in Ligue 1. After a season that noticed the younger striker rating 11 targets and supply 4 assists throughout 26 senior appearances, Paris Saint-Germain snapped Ekitiké up in 2022, initially on mortgage; a deal that was made everlasting in the summertime of 2023.
What would comply with after he joined PSG would put a damper on Ekitiké’s improvement. Becoming a member of a membership of that measurement so shortly, with the extent of depth they possessed did little or no to permit him to flourish. Since then, like many former PSG gamers earlier than him, Ekitiké has made a house for himself within the Bundesliga. In his case, this house is now Eintracht Frankfurt.
Frankfurt made their preliminary mortgage deal for Ekitiké final season a everlasting one this previous summer season, and the participant has as soon as once more begun to flourish underneath the tutelage of Dino Toppmöller. Paired up entrance with the imperious Omar Marmoush, Ekitiké already has six targets and three assists to his identify throughout 13 appearances for Frankfurt within the Bundesliga and Europa League mixed.
Ekitiké’s renaissance is in no small half due to fairly a number of elements that solely a membership like Frankfurt makes attainable, which shouldn’t make his on-field rehabilitation a large shock. Alongside Frankfurt’s function on this, it was additionally Ekitiké’s will to take a step away from a membership like PSG that gave him the possibility to show his profession round.
Stepping out of Kylian Mbappé’s shadow
When one thinks of Paris Saint-Germain on the time that Ekitiké signed for them, three issues particularly come to thoughts: exemplary youth expertise manufacturing, huge switch charges for gifted gamers, and Kylian Mbappé. In PSG’s case, these three issues didn’t at all times gel properly, particularly when it comes to participant integration. Proficient gamers akin to Moussa Diaby, Christopher Nkunku and Kingsley Coman are however a drop within the bucket of high prospects which have left PSG for pastures new and went on to search out success in different leagues, significantly the Bundesliga.
Whereas Ekitiké wasn’t an academy product, he was yet one more gifted participant that was at all times going to search out it tough to get minutes, particularly with the attacking firepower that PSG possessed. After half a season on the membership, it was clear to everybody watching that Ekitiké wouldn’t be benching Mbappé, and it underlined simply how a lot of a stumbling block this transfer was for Ekitiké’s improvement.
Shifting to Frankfurt at the start gave him a platform the place he might carry out and play constantly. This consistency allowed him to realize the arrogance that his lack of game-time drained him of previous to the transfer and allowed him to begin to become the participant we’re seeing accomplish that properly within the Bundesliga in the present day.
Frankfurt’s historical past of nurturing younger gamers and jumpstarting careers
Over the course of the final decade particularly, Frankfurt has been referred to as a membership that likes to nurture younger, gifted gamers, and has confirmed time and time once more to be an excellent springboard for some thrilling attacking expertise over time. Randal Kolo Muani, Sébastien Haller, and Luka Jović, simply to call a number of, all obtained profitable affords from high golf equipment after excelling in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt have additionally carried out an immense job of giving established gamers the platform to revive their careers and develop into an essential a part of their challenge. The checklist of names is in depth, with the likes of Mario Götze, Sebastian Rode and Robin Koch only a sampling of those that appeared to lose their method at different golf equipment, after which discovered a brand new house in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt’s document in each departments implies that they usually have a well-balanced surroundings of youth and expertise within the squad, an element which has seemingly labored in Ekitiké’s favour. By way of their experiences, a participant akin to Götze, as soon as hailed as Germany’s greatest “wunderkind”, can provide somebody like Ekitiké a tempered perspective that may assist youthful gamers higher handle expectations and navigate the following steps of their careers.
It’s seemingly that we will count on Ekitiké to make the bounce from Frankfurt to an even bigger membership sooner or later, however along with his personal expertise at PSG behind him, in addition to the experiences of his teammates to attract from, the hope could be that he takes his time earlier than making the bounce once more, and takes benefit of the chance Frankfurt is giving him to play at a excessive degree in a lower-pressure surroundings earlier than he decides on his subsequent profession transfer.
Dino Toppmöller & Frankfurt’s syste
Pivoting now to the nitty gritty and tactical facet of why Ekitiké has been akin to success at Frankfurt, one might very simply level to the system that Dino Toppmöller employs at Frankfurt; a system that simply occurs to suit Ekitiké’s skillset like a glove. Partnered up high with the very a lot in kind Omar Marmoush, Ekitiké has been capable of play in a entrance two harking back to his time at Reims, which is when he first confirmed his capacity to be an thrilling participant.
Underneath then Reims head coach Óscar García, like at Frankfurt, Ekitiké had the belief of a coach and membership that needed to give attention to creating thrilling youth gamers. The give attention to elevating youth was vital, and one thing García famous that he took delight in, particularly in Ekitiké’s case:
“I wish to develop younger gamers however, not solely that, I wish to be actually aggressive. You’ll be able to develop gamers however possibly you’re not at all times so aggressive. Right here we’re making an attempt to do each issues on the identical time. Generally it’s not simple however, final season, for instance, we had the case of Hugo Ekitike – the costliest sale within the historical past of the membership. That makes us proud as a result of we helped him attain one other degree.”
In the exact same interview, García was very clear on what Ekitiké’s strengths had been throughout his time with the membership, and what kind of surroundings he would flourish in:
“He’s an offensive participant who doesn’t wish to work as a pure No 9, however prefers to be cell. He’s tall and slim however very coordinated and he’s nice along with his toes. He’s not so robust along with his head – that’s some extent he has to enhance on – however, with the best coach, he can maintain bettering and present his potential.”
Reims, and García in extension, realised that Ekitiké didn’t have the profile of an out and out striker, which is why taking part in him off of a strike companion permits him to make the most of his strengths, i.e. being cell and direct participant on the pitch, one thing that Toppmöller’s system at Frankfurt has centered on, particularly this season. With Frankfurt usually aiming to win the ball excessive up the pitch and hit on the counter with the aim of exploiting the house in behind the opposition, direct gamers which have tempo and good with their toes are vital in pulling this off. Frankfurt have been probably the greatest counter-attacking sides within the league this season, and the 4-4-2 they arrange underneath Toppmöller has made them a really harmful opponent for any workforce within the league.
Ekitiké’s numbers clearly again up his capacity to carry out on this surroundings. With 0.29 assists, 3.61 shot creating actions, 2.5 success take-ons and a couple of.74 progressive carries per 90, per FBRef, these stats underline Ekitiké’s capacity to get ahead, tackle his man, and create harmful alternatives for his facet to capitalise on, even when he isn’t the one scoring. This additionally highlights the versatile nature of his play and why he works so properly in a entrance two; Ekitiké thrives when he isn’t the centerpiece of the assault, however a extra fluid facet of it.
There’s nonetheless an extended approach to go this season, however Frankfurt presently sit third within the desk on the time of writing. Frankfurt, and in extension Ekitiké, has the possibility to essentially set a brand new normal for the membership and what they’re able to reaching. In the event that they proceed on this trajectory, it’s seemingly there can be no scarcity of suitors for Ekitiké come the summer season.
Based mostly on what the participant has proven for the membership, and the form of surroundings they supply, Ekitiké might definitely use a pair extra years within the Bundesliga to essentially hone his abilities whereas taking part in an essential function for a workforce on the rise. At simply 22, he has his entire profession forward of him to affix the PSG’s of the world. For now, underneath the wings of Die Adler, Ekitiké can proceed his improvement in a spot the place he may have alternatives to shine, as a substitute of ready within the wings for possibilities that golf equipment in greater stress environments could not readily be capable to supply him at this vital level in his profession.
