The Liverpool academy star who is “a better finisher than Nunez” could replace Ekitike

Liverpool may be able to qualify for the Champions League next season, but they will limp over the line, benefiting from the failure of their Premier League rivals. It would be absurd, and it would not absolve Arne Slot of his part in the Anfield collapse.

This is not temporary: this is a regression of essential elements, Liverpool is losing something fundamental to its make and identity.

Dealing with a surprising fall in the faith of the fans, and if FSG stand behind the head coach they have appointed to replace Jurgen Klopp, they do so with doubts about his ability to lead the next phase of this project.

It would be easy, now, to pick one of the usual suspects, players like Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah and Iraima Konate and Florian Wirtz. They all recommended cheating this season.

But Hugo Ekitike has been a source of praise, yet there is no question that he has left something to be desired of late, and that was painfully clear when Tottenham Hotspur were drawn.

Why Hugo Ekitike is far from perfect

For the first few months of the season, Ekitike has established himself as a number nine and enjoyed the limelight as Alexander Isak, a club-record signing from Newcastle United, struggled to establish himself.

However, since Isak broke his leg against West Ham United in December, the French striker has been on a roll. Since scoring against Tottenham before Christmas, Ekitike has scored just twice in his last 11 Premier League games, including two goals at home to Newcastle.

There is a case to be made that the 23-year-old has tired during a difficult campaign as Liverpool's leading man, but his decision-making and attacking fluency have not been good over the past few months, as shown when he came on against Spurs.

Too often, Ekitike finds himself floating on the fringes, unable to connect with a larger creative body that is admittedly unaware of its own shape. In the Champions League he has scored only two goals, missing nine big chances.

There is no question that this is one of the most talented strikers in Europe, a player who could be world class, among the best.

But he's not there yet, and with Gakpo recommending deception and Isak still injured, Slot may find himself turning to an unusual solution.

Liverpool could let the young striker go

Slot has had a bad year, but he was special as Liverpool won the Premier League last season. However, giving minutes to youngsters has not been one of his strong suits throughout his time on Merseyside.

There is no doubt that Rio Ngumoha is Liverpool's most exciting striker, and the 17-year-old made his Premier League debut on Sunday.

However, Ngumoha is not the only one who could have an impact on the senior team, as Jayden Danns has finally recovered after being laid off for five months.

Danns, 20, has had a tough time over the last few years, having been plagued by fitness issues after a spell under Jurgen Klopp.

Danns has failed to make the Reds' development squad this season, scoring just once in four games. He was part of the bench as Liverpool's first team beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League group stage.

Last season, he scored in Liverpool's FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley, but that was one of his top three displays all season. Still, Danns has three career goals from just ten outings.

We saw during the 2023/24 campaign that this could be a big star, Danns could be instrumental in righting the ship at Anfield during a period of absurd injury problems.

Commentator Ben Mattinson even described him as “a better finisher than Nunez” in the 2023/24 season, and few would argue with the youngster providing a sharper and more accurate edge to his game in the danger zone.

And because he ended up with a Carabao Cup title to his name, playing in the final, Danns has enough talent to make an impact in the next few months.

Danns had a lot of bad luck throughout the early years of his Liverpool career, but that doesn't mean his quality didn't shine.

This is a talented goal scorer with a big future ahead of him, and as Isak continues to recover, Slot may find it worth releasing the schoolboy as another option at number nine.

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