Ekitike 2.0: Newcastle plotting move for "chaotic" £65m Wissa alternative
Newcastle United know two things: they are set to continue their wonderful journey with Alexander Isak fronting Eddie Howe’s project; Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike will not join them, and instead is set for Liverpool.
It’s a funny one to dissect. On one hand, United have likely missed out on another top target in the final third; Ekitike is a young striker with vast potential, talent scout Jacek Kulig even claiming he “could definitely reach world-class striker levels.”
However, if Liverpool reach their quarry, they are effectively eliminated from any future chase concerning Isak.
The Sweden striker is world-class, but Newcastle still need to sign a number nine with Callum Wilson having left Tyneside at the end of his contract.
Newcastle want new striker
With Ekitike seemingly off the cards, Newcastle have set their sights on Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, who scored 20 goals in 2024/25.
Wissa, 28, is valued at £50m and has been confirmed as Howe’s new top target by The Athletic’s David Ornstein. However, with Bryan Mbeumo set to sign for Manchester United, the Magpies might want to find an alternative.
And they have done so. According to Sport BILD, Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez has been lined up by the PIF bosses in a shocking twist. The 25-year-old is expected to leave Jürgen Klopp’s squad this summer, with Saudi Arabian interest being heavy, and the striker is valued in the region of £65m.
Fabrizio Romano has since chimed in to note that Newcastle have not engaged in any talks concerning Nunez, although he didn’t shut the door on a potential move.
It might not be the most popular track Newcastle could head down, but there’s meaning in the madness. Nunez’s prime years are ostensibly ahead of him, and he’s younger and more malleable than Wissa.
Howe, more to the point, is one of the sharpest tactical minds out there.
Why Newcastle are considering Darwin Nunez
Make no mistake, this would be quite the peculiar finish to a transfer saga with more twists than a high-octane thriller novel. Certainly, few would see this one coming.
However, Nunez is a maverick, one of the most talented strikers in the Premier League, if not one of the most consistent. Noted for his “chaotic” energy by The Athletic’s Christopher Hamill, the Uruguayan has spent three years on English shores, and he’s been something of a mixed bag.
Missed chances have been a common theme, with 55 such chances squandered in spite of his modest 25-goal return, as per Sofascore, in the Premier League, but he’s also posted a decent return of 66 goal contributions across 143 appearances in a Liverpool shirt, including just 76 starting roles.
Say what you want, but 40 goals and 26 assists marks not a decent haul across 76 starts. The ingredients for success are there.
It’s worth noting that Nunez’s finishing improved somewhat last season too. He missed eight big chances in the Premier League last term, converting five strikes.
This, at the very least, illustrates a slight upturn in his shooting, something Howe would be sure to work on with him.
And, of course, St. James’ Park has suffered the bitter taste of how effective Nunez can be when on his A-game.
Howe might provide the helping hand Nunez needs to escape from a sorry situation at Anfield, with Newcastle offering the perfect recourse to lift him back up and into the sphere which he has demonstrated is within his grasp.
Nunez’s pace, power and dynamism certainly suggest that he could be United’s own version of Ekitike, and one who might come back to sting the Reds at that. Howe’s flowing, transitional system could offer the conditions Nunez needs to thrive.
Last season was one of individual strife for the striker, but he showed much promise in 2023/24, under Jurgen Klopp’s wing. Across 54 matches, he scored 18 goals and supplied 15 assists for his teammates.
Goals scored
0.53
0.48
Assists
0.28
0.35
Shots taken
4.00
4.70
Shot-creating actions
3.55
3.47
Touches (att pen)
6.88
8.44
Progressive passes
1.86
2.37
Progressive carries
3.27
2.55
Successful take-ons
1.83
0.66
Ball recoveries
3.06
3.32
Tackles + interceptions
0.81
1.10
As you can see, Nunez could more than hold his own in terms of output and performance, if you were to collate the data from the respective campaigns.
But it’s difficult to delineate the specifics, for the circumstances differ. However, Ekitike has not yet plied his trade in the Premier League, and Nunez could offer Newcastle something dynamic and similar to complement Isak, who is surely set to stay now.
And Ekitike, in any case, is hardly the finished product himself. The 23-year-old scored 12 goals and laid on 12 assists last season, but his finishing and accuracy leave something to be desired even so.
Drawing on FBref’s data again, the Frenchman totalled 0.66 per 90’s worth of xG (expected goals) across all competitions last season, though he scored at a rate of 0.51.
This highlights the improvements needed. His finishing requires sharpening, and the intensity and roughness of the English game may yet foil him in his endeavours.
It’s a left-field one, for sure, but the Magpies could do worse, and Nunez has shown the makings of a special striker in England before.
He would also arrive to serve as Isak’s understudy, to challenge him and complement him. The Liverpool star, in this sense, wouldn’t have to worry about the weight of succeeding the Swede from the off, but rather, to learn from him and help him.
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Whether Howe opts for the more clinical and secure name in Wissa remains to be seen, but signing Liverpool’s wantaway striker could complete a sense of circularity about this gripping transfer saga, and one which may just see Howe come up trumps.
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