Thierry Henry’s warning to Arsenal and Chelsea over signing ‘amazing’ £60m striker

Hugo Ekitike, a top transfer target for Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, can be a ‘frustrating’ player Thierry Henry has warned.

The three Premier League giants are all in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, with Arsenal’s need for a prolific goalscorer well-documented.

Chelsea have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town but would be interested in adding another striker to their roster, which could well spell the end for Nicolas Jackson’s time at Stamford Bridge.

As for Liverpool, it has long been clear that Darwin Nunez is not in Arne Slot’s plans with the Uruguayan likely to leave Anfield.

Ekitike is a name on all of their radars following an explosive season at Eintracht Frankfurt where he recorded 34 goal contributions in 48 games across all competitions.

Valued at £60million, the striker has been coached at France youth level by Arsenal legend Henry, who, according to Micah Richards, likes what he sees – but there is a caveat.

‘In terms of Ekitike, I’ve spoken to Thierry Henry about him a lot,’ Manchester City hero Richards told The Rest is Football podcast.

‘He says he’s not [necessarily] a frustrating player, but one minute he looks amazing and the next minute he doesn’t really do the basics very well.

‘But he said if he gets it right and improves then his ceiling could be very, very high.’

Reports suggest Chelsea are leading the race for Ekitike, who turns 23 in June and that actually might be a good thing for Liverpool, as Richards isn’t certain he’s the right fit for the Reds.

He added: ‘It depends on how they want to play. Do they want a striker who can stretch or they do they want a striker who is going to come to feet and interlink play?

‘Ekitike is not bad on the ball but he’s more of a stretch striker than a [Roberto] Firmino coming in deep and linking play.

‘Where does Florian Wirtz fit into that? Where does Dominik Szoboszlai fit into that? Where does Luis Diaz potentially fit into that. If they get Wirtz I think they may be looking for more a player who can drop and Diaz can play a little bit deeper. He played a lot as a No.9 this season.

‘But talent wise he’s definitely got enough to add to this Liverpool side.’

Wirtz seems primed to join Liverpool but only if the Reds meet Bayer Leverkusen’s £120m asking price and it’s possible the attacking midfielder could be deployed as a centre-forward under Slot.

Additionally, Benjamin Sesko appears to be Mikel Arteta’s first-choice with talks between Arsenal and RB Leipzig progressing well, all of which could clear the way for Chelsea to sign Ekitike.

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