Rumoured Newcastle United target Hugo Ekitike could arrive at the club next season to challenge striker Chris Wood for a role in the team.
With the Magpies hoping to avoid relegation this term, they turned to the Kiwi striker for help. Indeed, Burnley received £25m for their man and off he went to a Premier League rival.
However, with seemingly no shortage to the newfound Newcastle ambition, Eddie Howe’s men are supposedly already looking to sign a new striker. As reported by Foot Mercato, a bid of €35m (£29.1m) was made in January for Ekitike and top-flight clubs ‘have their eye’ on him ahead of the summer – a claim also backed up by the Daily Mirror.
Where would Hugo Ekitike fit in?
If Newcastle reignite their interest in the young striker and bring him to St. James’ Park, it will be interesting to see how he would compare with new forward Wood. Since joining the Magpies, the target man has yet to score, though he is also yet to lose – perhaps showing that his influence on the team has been positive.
Even so, goals have been hard to come by for the Kiwi this season. He has just three strikes (and no assists) to his name in 26 outings across all competitions split between Burnley and his new side.
Ekitike, on the other hand, has been far more prolific, scoring 10 goals and also adding three assists in just 24 games this term.
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It should not be forgotten though, that at 19 years of age, the Stade Reims man is largely unproven, while Wood has 50 Premier League goals to his name across 160 appearances.
What is clear is that the two have rather different styles. For instance, Wood wins an average of 10.2 aerial duels per game at Newcastle, while Ekitike manages just one. Meanwhile, the former rarely attempts to dribble, whereas the teenager is much happier running with the ball at his feet (as per WhoScored).
Therefore, although Ekitike’s arrival may seem like bad news for Wood, perhaps they would be best working as a pair.
With their two opposing styles, they could actually work well together if manager Howe wanted to play with two centre-forwards, as perhaps the manager’s intention would be to accommodate both strikers – their last-minute pursuit of the youngster last month would suggest this could be the case.
Wood could be the traditional target man, challenging for the ball in the air, and acting as a target man. Ekitike could get the ball played to his feet and run at the defence – while the two should both be able to contribute goals.
With Callum Wilson so often struggling for fitness, it’s likely Newcastle need another option up top. It would be interesting to see if the aforementioned duo would be a compatible pair for the club.
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