Hugo Ekitiké
Eintracht Frankfurt, 2024-
Hugo Ekitiké has reportedly attracted interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, in light of his excellent performances for Eintracht Frankfurt. His Bundesliga displays have somewhat resurrected his reputation – despite being just 22 – following a mixed spell with Paris Saint-Germain. But a football career is rarely a simple upward trajectory, and so Ekitiké’s Parisian bump in the road could yet prove to be a valuable learning experience.
Born in the French city of Reims in 2002, he progressed to the senior side of his hometown club in 2020, before going on loan to Danish team Vejle Boldklub. On returning to Reims for the 2021/22 season, he forced his way into the team and scored 10 goals while exciting with his play. So much so that PSG recruited him, initially on loan, before sealing a permanent €28million deal. Despite making 33 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants, he was unable to gain a regular place in their star-studded line up and left for Frankfurt in January 2024.
In his first 18 months in Germany he subsequently flourished, scoring 26 goals in 64 appearances and helping Eintracht to third place in the 2024/25 Bundesliga table. Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed his game…
Technical analysis
Hugo Ekitiké is a right-footed centre-forward who is capable of playing as a lone striker or alongside a partner. He has the versatility and adaptable skillset to be used in various back four and back-three formations. In particular, he has the acceleration and speed to run beyond a defensive line to threaten in behind. He is also intelligent with his movement around the penalty area, often positioning on the blindside of defenders, timing his movements to arrive ahead of defenders and finish. His dribbling makes him a threat on transition, often drifting to find space to receive, then travel at defences with his excellent ball carrying ability.
In a prolific 2024/25 season he recorded the highest combined expected goals and assists in the Bundesliga (26.61). It is form that has made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe, with plenty of potential and playing years ahead.
Attacking movement
In build-up he is a consistent threat in behind the opposition’s defensive line. Standing 6ft 3in, he has excellent acceleration and dynamic movement, quickly reaching top speed. He likes to drift on to the outside shoulder of a central defender, on the opposite side to where his team are in possession, arcing his run slightly to gain a wider view of the space he can exploit (below). This gives him with the ability to run in behind defenders if they are ball watching, while being able to cut across, in front, should a defender overcompensate for his initial movement. In these situations, his change of speed is invaluable in gaining an advantage ahead of covering defenders.
Ekitiké’s dynamism makes him a threat in attacking transitions, where he makes forward-facing movements to receive on the outside of defenders. In these scenarios he prefers to receive to feet and use close control and his ball-carrying ability to travel at defenders. When space is available, he will be direct, taking more steps between touches to drive towards goal quickly. In doing so he can force defenders on to the back foot, retreating towards their own box.
In closer 1v1 situations, he will slow down and lead with his right foot as his front foot, often taking lots of small touches to try to fix the defender’s feet. He then uses stepovers or body feints to unbalance the defender and exploit space on either side. His preference is usually to shift the defender to his left before quickly changing direction back inside, giving him the opportunity to shoot on his right foot (as shown with his opening goal against Tottenham, below). Although, he is capable of attacking on the outside if more space is available there.
In and around the penalty area, Ekitiké has shown game intelligence with his movement. He often positions on the blind-side of central defenders while his team try to penetrate the opposition’s defensive structure (below). He is also capable of link-up play in the build up, but it is not one of his strongest attributes.
He can be explosive with his movement when his team has penetrated a back line, accelerating away from his marker to arrive ahead of recovering defenders. This has frequently led to a relatively easy finish at the back post (as below, following Rasmus Kristensen’s low cross). When marked more closely, he is capable of making multiple movements to displace defenders. He will drift towards the defender’s back shoulder to create space towards the near post, before accelerating in the opposite direction to exploit the created space and finish from a sharper angle across his body.
Box movement and finishing
Ekitiké often reacts ahead of defenders, using poacher-like instincts to exploit second balls and rebounds, as shown below. Following Larsson’s strike, Ekitiké anticipated the rebound ahead of everyone in the box, with the ball falling just ahead of him. He then adjusted his body to finish cleanly into an empty net.
In more congested situations he is also adaptable with his body positioning and manipulation of the ball. He can shift the ball with smaller touches to open a line to finish between defenders’ legs. Or he can shift with larger and wider touches to open up a line to finish around defenders, using them as a guide and leaving the goalkeeper unsighted.
An area for Ekitiké to improve is his efficiency. In the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, despite recording 21.09 xG, he scored 15 goals. This could have been due to his shot-heavy approach, taking the most shots (112) in the 2024/25 Bundesliga – many from unfavourable angles and distances. With only 39% of these shots on target, it is certainly an area for refinement.
Out of possession
Without the ball, Ekitiké hasn’t often been deployed in aggressive pressing situations. Eintracht Frankfurt allowed an average of 14.18 PPDA in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, making them the sixth-most passive team. Despite this, Ekitiké will recognise triggers and seize opportunities to press in the final third when possession is insecure. This gives him the opportunity to regain high up the pitch and immediately create opportunities to score.
In those moments, he presses with intensity, causing indecision. There have been plenty of instances where he has achieved a high regain, despite not being the most combative in close-contact duels. In deeper areas and more passive blocks, he is able to screen and stop the opposition progressing centrally. He also recognises when to make arced pressing runs to dictate the direction of the opposition’s build-up, to set pressing traps for regains (below).
There is certainly much to admire about Ekitiké’s game, but with plenty of room to improve. Having made a big move to PSG that didn’t quite work out, Ekitiké would be forgiven for thinking carefully about leaving Eintracht when he has been playing so well. But his impact in Germany has made it inevitable that Europe’s richest clubs would circle.
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