Hugo Ekitike is finally showing the potential that Newcastle United saw in him.
After Newcastle United failed to sign Hugo Ekitike in 2022, it has been a tough couple of years.
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The forward chose to join Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a move to St James’ Park, at a time when the thought of Champions League football on Tyneside was pure fantasy.
But it proved to be a mistake, with Ekitike barely playing for the Ligue 1 giants. He signed to play alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but that is not really how things panned out.
After 33 appearances in all competitions, PSG moved him on. Ekitike signed for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in February 2024, and is now a permanent player at the Bundesliga club.
Fortunately for the 22-year-old, he has turned his career around. Ekitike is flying in an Eintracht Frankfurt shirt, boasting nine goals and five assists in all competitions this season. His numbers are outstanding, as Eintracht Frankfurt launch an early challenge for the Bundesliga title.
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt celebrates after Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt scores his team’s third goal during the Bundesliga match …
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Newcastle United scouts now vindicated in Hugo Ekitike pursuit
Ekitike is playing so well in Germany that Newcastle United scouts finally feel vindicated that they were right to try and sign the striker two years ago.
That is according to TBR Football insider Graeme Bailey, who has spoken to Geordie Boot Boys about what is being said about Ekitike inside Newcastle United amid his recent form.
“There are clubs looking again at him,” he said.
“A lot of them are looking at Omar Marmoush, but Ekitike is also shining.
“What I am told is that Newcastle scouts are saying this is what they saw in him in the first place. They knew he would be this good, which is why they pushed so hard to sign him.
“It wasn’t Newcastle’s fault, as PSG came in. It was just bad timing. But it’s a feather in the cap of Newcastle’s scouting team, who now feel they are vindicated in trying to sign him. It backs up what they were suggesting. Newcastle were way ahead of the curve on that one.
“He’s on fire right now.”
What happened between Hugo Ekitike and Newcastle United in 2022
The Hugo Ekitike transfer saga was incredibly infuriating for Newcastle United fans.
Newcastle United tried desperately hard to sign the young French forward in 2022, first in January and then again in the summer.
Ekitike turned down a January move to Newcastle, despite Eddie Howe’s side trying to secure his services on transfer deadline day. Instead, Ekitike chose not to board a flight to the North East and spent the rest of the season at Stade Reims.
But the Magpies would not be deterred, and tried to sign him again in the summer of 2022. It even looked like a deal was on, as Newcastle agreed a fee with Reims.
All that was left was for Ekitike to agree personal terms with Newcastle United, which is where the deal collapsed. Newcastle officials walked away from Ekitike, while he completed a dream move to PSG.
That dream turned into a nightmare, much to the amusement of Newcastle United fans.
Now Ekitike is plying his trade for Eintracht Frankfurt, and is finally justifying exactly why the Newcastle United recruitment team wanted to bring him to St James’ Park.
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