Liverpool may have endured a lacklustre season compared to 2024/25’s title-winning campaign, but Thierry Henry believes that one player in particular has thrived at Anfield
Thierry Henry has claimed that Hugo Ekitike deserves “a lot of credit” for his endeavours with Liverpool this season. The Frenchman was one of three big money signings by the Reds last summer.
While Liverpool splashed far more on Florian Wirtz (£116million) and Alexander Isak (£125m) from Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United respectively, the club have saw far more in terms of return from Ekitike – who made his way to Merseyside in a £79m deal with Eintracht Frankfurt.
This season so far, the 23-year-old has managed 17 goals and six assists from 42 appearances across all competitions. And as a result of thriving in his new surroundings, Premier League legend Henry believes he deserves his flowers.
Speaking with Betway about the impact that Ekitike has had at both club and national level, the player-turned-pundit said: “The guy did it already – it’s Ekitike. It happened earlier, and nobody saw it coming.
“You have to give him a lot of credit for making the jump, doing what he did at Liverpool and breaking through into this squad. But it’s going to be a battle.
“Nobody thought eight months ago that Ekitike would be in this squad, so there’s always a chance for someone to break in. Warren Zaire-Emery was with the Under-21s in November, and now he’s back in. There’s always a chance that someone can come through.”
Despite the success of Ekitike, Liverpool will have a glaringly obvious void to fill this summer when Mohamed Salah calls time on his career with the club. The Egyptian announced last month that this season would be his last at Anfield, as he looks toward his next chapter.
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That’s despite the 33-year-old only signing a contract extension last April that should keep him in the north west until 2027. Taking to social media to announce his decision, the Egyptian forward said: “Hello everyone. Unfortunately the day has come.
“This is the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people, would become part of my life.
“Liverpool is not just a football club, it’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club. We celebrated victory. We won the most important trophies and we fought together through the hardest time in our life.
“I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the team-mates past and present. And to the fans, I don’t have enough words. The support you showed me through the best time of my career and you stood by me in the toughest time.
“It’s something I will never forget and something I will take with me always. Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will be always one of you. This club will always be my home to me and my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone.”
In the wake of the announcement, a number of big name players have been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer – including Nico Williams, Yan Diomande and Francisco Conceicao. Harry Wilson has also been touted for a potential return to the club.
However, for the time being, the Reds’ undivided attention will be focused on securing the best possible Premier League finish come May, given their hopes and dreams of defending last year’s title grow slimmer by the day. At the time of writing, Liverpool sit fifth in the league table, 21 points adrift of first-place Arsenal with just seven games to go.
Up next for Arne Slot’s team is a quarter-final FA Cup clash with Manchester City come Saturday, April 4. A quarter-final Champions League outing with Paris Saint-Germain then follows on Wednesday, April 8, before the Reds play host to Fulham back in the Premier League on Saturday, April 11.
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