What Thierry Henry Said About Hugo Ekitike Ahead of Liverpool Move

Thierry Henry's response to fans drawing comparisons between himself and inbound Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has re-emerged ahead of the starlet's impending move to Anfield. It was announced on Monday that the Reds had agreed a package with Frankfurt for the 23-year-old worth £79m, just days after Newcastle first registered interest in the player.

Ekitike will join the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez as the reigning Premier League champions look to strengthen their squad as they aim to defend their title next season. And with their seemingly new number nine set to be brought in to add more goals to the attack, Henry's past comments now look all the more interesting.

The legendary Arsenal striker was clear in his thoughts

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Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, co-host Micah Richards revealed exactly what Henry thought about Ekitike, who he claimed 'does not do the basics very well.' The former Manchester City defender works frequently alongside the French icon for CBS Sports, and admitted that the pair discussed Ekitike previously, and while Henry admitted that the soon-to-be Liverpool man had a high ceiling, he made it clear that he suffered with inconsistency:

"In terms of Ekitike, I’ve spoken to Thierry about him a lot. He says he’s not [necessarily] a frustrating player, but one minute he looks amazing and the next minute he does not do the basics very well. He said if he gets it right and improves, then his ceiling could be very, very high."

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Ekitike scored 22 goals and added 12 assists in 48 appearances during the 2024/25 season for Frankfurt.

Henry's lack of trust in Ekitike was perhaps no more apparent than during his time as the French U21 and U23 manager. The Frankfurt frontman was not called up to play for the youth side and also missed out on the squad that was taken to the 2024 Olympics. Instead, the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Jean-Philippe Mateta were preferred to lead the line for the Les Bleus side that ended up taking home a silver medal.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate 21/07/2025.

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