Liverpool news: Hugo Ekitike gives Alexander Isak verdict as transfer statement issued

Liverpool went into the international break with three wins from three to begin their Premier League title defence, having also backed manager Arne Slot with a huge transfer window that saw more than £400m spent

For Liverpool, it’s a case of ‘so far, so good’ as far as their start to the season is concerned. They’ve won all three of their first Premier League games heading into the international break and boss Arne Slot should be very satisfied.

They also had a very pleasing summer transfer window after splashing out more than £400million on a number of high profile players, including Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz – which should give them a huge advantage over their rivals.

Liverpool went into the break off the back of a crucial 1-0 win over title rivals Arsenal and are preparing to resume their campaign away at Burnley on September 14.

Slot will be hoping all his players return in good shape as the Reds gear up for a big campaign that includes a Champions League campaign kicking off later this month.

Mirror Football has taken a look through some of the biggest Liverpool stories and gossip.

READ MORE: Liverpool legend left in no man’s land after declining brutal contract demandREAD MORE: Liverpool ‘make final decision’ on Marc Guehi January transfer swoop after deal collapse

Ekitike embraces Isak competition

Ekitike was one of Liverpool’s big buys in the window as he arrived for around £79m from Eintracht Frankfurt – and he’s already enjoyed a superb start to the season.

The Frenchman has two goals and one assist so far from three games after quickly settling into life at Anfield, but the arrival of Isak has suddenly put his position under threat.

Isak is expected to be the first-choice centre-forward under Slot this season – especially after the club forked out £125m to prise him from Newcastle – which could either limit Ekitike’s opportunities or force him to play on the wing.

But Ekitike is not deterred by Isak’s arrival, which he says is a “pleasure” because it will be “fun” to compete with top players.

He admitted it would be “tough” competing with the Sweden star but he is confident it will bring out the best in the group as they bid to retain their title.

“It’s fun,” he said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. “When you play for the best teams, you expect to be competing with the best players. Isak is a player I’ve watched too, so seeing him arrive is a pleasure. It’s going to be tough competition, but I’m going to focus on performing well so that it’s a problem for the manager.”

Bayern make Liverpool jibe over Wirtz deal

Alongside Isak and Ekitike, Florian Wirtz was another big-money signing at Anfield this summer after Liverpool agreed a £116.5m deal with Bayer Leverkusen for the talented playmaker.

Wirtz initially looked set to join rival Bayern Munich after they watched him dazzle with ten goals and 12 assists last season, before Liverpool emerged as the favourites.

Bayern chief Uli Hoeness has now shed light on the failed move and why they walked away from the negotiating table – and he threw some shade at Liverpool by admitting they would “never” agree to pay as much as Liverpool did.

“We’re very satisfied at FC Bayern,” he told told German media (via the Echo ). “We are the real winners of the summer transfer window.

“We have a strong team and didn’t need to strengthen it much. Of course, we would have liked to have Florian Wirtz, but we’d never have bought him for €150million (£130million).”

Instead, they signed Luis Diaz for around £65.5m, while Jonathan Tah arrived on a free transfer and Nicolas Jackson joined on loan. He hit out at Premier League clubs for treating the transfer market “like Monopoly” after Newcastle also beat them to the signing of Nick Woltemade.

“We offered €55million (£47.7million) for Nick Woltemade, while Stuttgart wanted €75 million (£65million),” he added. “In the end, he went to Newcastle for €90m (£78million). “What Newcastle are doing has nothing to do with football. It’s like Monopoly these days”

Origi in no man’s land at AC Milan

Liverpool fans will have fond memories of Divock Origi after he scored the second goal in their 2-0 win over Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final.

But right now the striker is going through a difficult spell at AC Milan after being frozen out of the first team picture. Origi hasn’t played for the club since 2023 and spent the whole of last season playing for the reserve team.

According to Tuttosport, the player was offered an early contract termination by the club, but he rejected the opportunity, instead preferring to see out the last remaining year of his contract.

Origi’s only season playing for Milan came in his first campaign of 2022-23, when he managed just two goals across the season and was widely criticised by the country’s media, while he was also mocked by fans.

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