Inside Hugo Ekitike's DOUBLE Newcastle United rejection - and why now is different - video Dailymotion

Shields Gazette

Joe Buck takes a look at the reasons why Hugo Ekitike twice rejected a move to Newcastle United in 2022 and why now is different for both parties. The Magpies could smash their current record transfer to sign Ekitike this summer to partner Alexander Isak.

Transcript

00:00So, it feels like it could be 2022 again with Newcastle United heavily linked with a move for Hugo Eketiki.

00:07Now, right now, speaking of 2025, it's a really exciting move.

00:11You know, Eketiki has developed himself into one of Europe's hottest young strikers.

00:1523 years of age, got plenty of goals and assists in Bundesliga last year.

00:19And someone who can play alongside Alexander Ezek, I'll say that again, alongside Alexander Ezek,

00:24no, instead of Alexander Ezek and Newcastle, is really exciting.

00:27Of course, Newcastle United fans have been here before.

00:30I've been here before as a journalist.

00:31We've all been here when Edgar Ezek's name is mentioned, deal, you know, talks about deals progressing, agents getting involved.

00:40Back in 2022, that was the story, you know, not just once, but twice.

00:45And there is feelings from Newcastle fans, certainly people.

00:48I think a lot of people have been deleting tweets, deleting, rewriting their opinions of the striker.

00:53But it's, you know, it's important to remember that three years ago, Newcastle United and Eketiki were in completely different places.

01:00And it's not a surprise when you look back at them rejections or them failed moves, why it happened.

01:05So I'm going to explain a little bit why those happened and why now it's different for a move for Eketiki.

01:10So as I said, back in January 2022, Newcastle, if you remember that win, I bought fantastically.

01:16Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimores, Dan Byrne, Matt Target.

01:21So it was a fantastic window for them.

01:22Right at the end of that window, Eketiki emerged as a target.

01:26As I mentioned, they'd already signed Chris Wood to play as a backup to Callum Wilson.

01:29But Eketiki had been identified as the next young prospect, you know, someone who could then, once Premier League survival was assured,

01:36it wasn't at that point, but once it was assured that he could take that game to the next level.

01:40Now that bid was finally accepted by Stan Rems at the time on the final day of the window.

01:47But Eketiki, unsurprisingly, as a youngster in France, decided to stay at the club he's developing at.

01:53He was playing well, he was getting lots of game time.

01:56And a move to St James Park at that time would have been a big risk.

01:59You know, there was even talk of him potentially making the French squad for the World Cup later that year.

02:02So you can see why at that stage, a young, you know, teenager didn't want to move to England, risk, you know, uprooting his family,

02:11the life he's built at a club that he was scoring at just to move to England.

02:15And potentially, you know, Newcastle could have been playing championship football the next season.

02:20It was very likely that stage.

02:21So that was the first field move.

02:23And you can see why that didn't work.

02:25Now we go on to the summer, Newcastle United did secure Premier League survival.

02:29They then looked to build on that with signings of Sven Botman.

02:33In particular, that's a man Nick Pope joined as well.

02:35And Eketiki was, again, on their list.

02:38But PSG's interest became known.

02:40And as soon as that happens, you can't, you know, every player,

02:44there's probably a select few players in the world who wouldn't turn down PSG at that point.

02:48For a young French player who burst through at his, you know, at the club,

02:53at his hometown club, the club he came through the academy system at,

02:56PSG's interest is known.

02:57Of course, you can sign for them.

02:59And so, again, feelings of, you know, did his agent go about it the right way?

03:04You know, Newcastle had been burned twice by Eketiki.

03:07Was he someone who was just going to continually, you know,

03:09forever lead the club on without any signings?

03:11But again, you can't really fault that.

03:13And as mentioned, you know, Newcastle United, as much as fans and journalists,

03:16we knew the ambition, you know, the project was clear, the survivor relegation.

03:20And they would go on to get the Champions League qualification at the end of that season.

03:23But at that stage, it was just a project.

03:25It was an exciting project, but it was just a project.

03:28I mean, it required a lot of buy-in from players to join.

03:31You know, Sven Botman joined, as I mentioned, that was a brilliant move.

03:34And Eketiki's refusal to join Newcastle actually benefited them,

03:39because ultimately, the end of that window, they ended it by signing Alexander Izak.

03:43So, you can't say that that move didn't work out for Newcastle in particular.

03:47Now, we all know Eketiki's struggled at PSG.

03:50He's rebuilt his career at Eintracht Frankfurt over the last season and a half.

03:53And now, Newcastle United are still an exciting project, but they've actually got some bodywork behind them that shows that they are progressing.

03:59You know, they've secured a Champions League qualification twice in three seasons.

04:02They've obviously won a major trophy.

04:04Obviously, Eketiki will look at players like Izak, like Sandro Tonali, Bruno, and some of the English players.

04:10Lewis Hall, Tino Liverpool, Anthony Gordon.

04:12He'll see that group of players.

04:14I think this is a club that can develop me.

04:16He's a manager, and Eddie Howe can develop me.

04:18And so, you know, it's not a place you go where it's a big risk,

04:20because Eketiki will know that if he can get game time in this team,

04:25he will score goals and he will be, you know, one of their big players.

04:27So, it's a move this summer, yes, will probably cost three times as much as it would have done three years ago,

04:32but Eketiki is a different player.

04:34He's a better player.

04:34He's more, you know, he's got a bodywork behind him that he's scored goals in Germany and in France as well.

04:42So, he's established himself.

04:44Newcastle have established themselves, and that's why it just seems to sort of make sense to move this summer now.

04:49The Izak factor will, of course, be mentioned, and no doubt there'll be fans in Merseyside

04:53and maybe North London and abroad thinking, you know,

04:55if Newcastle make a club record deal for Eketiki, that must mean Izak's going to go.

04:59But I don't think that's the case.

04:59I think the case will be, certainly for this year, that the two will play together.

05:03Whether that's in the same team, whether one can drop behind the other,

05:07or whether the player's two strikers, you know, that's up to Eddie Howe to find a way to get them both in.

05:11But then that unlocks potentially next year.

05:12If Izak goes and you've got Eketiki already made a replacement,

05:16adapting to Premier League football and adapting to Eddie Howe football is not easy.

05:18You know, Eketiki will take some deadening time.

05:21So, that might be another reason, you know, get this deal done now.

05:24And then in a year's time, if Izak goes, if the worst happens,

05:27then Eketiki is ready to hit the ground running.

05:29But right now, it's a really exciting move.

05:31Is it going to be a complicated one to get over the line?

05:33Yes, I mentioned it yesterday on my video.

05:34It's going to be a difficult one.

05:36The club record fee aside, you know, lots of clubs are going to be looking for Liverpool.

05:40Interest in Eketiki.

05:41And if Newcastle can get his signature, it's a real statement.

05:44Of course, the money is a big statement.

05:46And it will be shown that they are upwardly mobile on an upwards curve.

05:51And all the worries of the sojourn and whether we're going to get players actually is going to go and get Eketiki over the line.

05:57But as I said, there's still lots of moving parts, lots of deals we've done, but all the noise is positive.

06:01And, yeah, Newcastle United will hopefully, finally, after three years of trying, or three and a half years of trying, actually,

06:08will hopefully get their man.

06:11But, of course, the best way you can stay up to date with all the leaders, Hugo Aki, TK Tradford News,

06:14and the rest surrounding Newcastle United is with the Shields Gazette.

Inside Hugo Ekitike's DOUBLE Newcastle United rejection - and why now is different

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