BBC Sports Editor gets it embarrassingly wrong on Newcastle United and Hugo Ekitike | OneFootball

BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan has been talking about the situation regarding Hugo Ekitike, Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Earlier this week, Newcastle United put in an offer of £69.5m to buy Ekitike as their second choice striker. To play at times alongside Alexander Isak, come off the bench on other occasions, to deputise for the first choice centre-forward if needed.

That offer was turned down by Eintracht Franfurt for the 23 year old French striker.

That was then swiftly followed by Liverpool briefing the media that they were still desperate to sign Alexander Isak, were prepared to pay £120m+ for him, but that Newcastle United hadn’t changed their position, still having zero interest in selling their number one striker.

In desperate need for a new first choice striker, which we knew was the case even during last season when winning the league, Liverpool forced now to accept they had no chance with Isak, the Scousers then having to go down their preferred list of targets. With only four weeks to go until the new Premier League season, Liverpool going for Hugo Ekitike having failed with Alexander Isak.

With Liverpool now wanting to buy Hugo Ekitike to become their first choice striker and going into talks with Eintracht Frankfurt. Newcastle refusing to get into an auction for the player who they wanted as their second striker, deciding not to waste any more time on the French striker, United moving on to look at other targets. With Newcastle reported to be keen on Yoane Wissa amongst others, the Brentford striker the highest scoring non-penalty taking goalscorer in the Premier League last season with 19 goals.

This is how the BBC Sports Editor has reported on the Hugo Ekitike situation…

BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan reporting – 17 July 2025:

‘If Liverpool do sign Hugo Ekitike at Newcastle’s expense, then you’d imagine the Magpies will reflect on their decision to walk away from a £20m deal to sign the 23-year-old striker three years ago, only to then pivot and sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.

Ekitike’s emergence as one of the continent’s best young strikers has seen his value sky-rocket. His asking price is part of the reason why Newcastle have failed to sign the French striker in recent days.

Ekitike’s rise to prominence has also resulted in Europe’s top clubs entering the equation.

When Liverpool come knocking it’s hard to ignore. His 26 goals in 47 appearances for Frankfurt has been enough for the Merseysiders to take the plunge in a deal that will cost in-excess of £70m.

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is aiming to have the deal for Ekitike closed by the end of the weekend, while Newcastle’s wait for a new striker moves on.’

This is all very embarrassing for the BBC Sports Editor, as in his desperation to make this out to be some kind of spectacularly positive Liverpool story AND a very negative Newcastle United one, he has missed a few important points.

As we recounted (see below) earlier this week, it wasn’t Newcastle United who made a ‘…decision to walk away from a £20m deal’ to buy Hugo Ekitike back in 2022. If the BBC Sports Editor had bothered to check back on the most clear and obvious facts, he would then have known that it wasn’t United who walked away from the deal, it was Hugo Ekitike. At the start of June 2022, the Reims President announced that they had agreed a transfer fee with Newcastle United and it was now down to the player. What later emerged was that Hugo Ekitike had been tipped off of PSG interest but they had to delay doing anything regarding a deal due to what was happening behind the scenes at the Paris club, so as Ekitike himself said after the deal, it was his dream to play for PSG and so he wanted to wait to find out what they would do. Then in mid-July 2022 he decided to join PSG rather than Newcastle United and that was that. Newcastle hadn’t walked away willingly.

Towards the end of August 2022, Newcastle United then did indeed sign Alexander Isak for £63m.

However, I don’t believe for one minute that the idea had been for Hugo Ekitike to come straight in as Newcastle’s number one striker back in 2022, just as has been the case in 2025. Whether Newcastle would have signed Alexander Isak AND Hugo Ekitike back in 2022 is an unknown, however, signing a then very inexperienced 19 year old (when the transfer was agreed with Reims) Ekitike who had only played half a season of first team league football, no way would the Frenchman have been instant first choice starter for Newcastle three years ago. In contrast, back in 2022, Isak was 22 and had already played three seasons in La Liga (and a handful of matches in the Bundesliga) and was also a regular starter for Sweden. Aged 23 now, Hugo Ekitike is still to even get a call up for a senior France squad. Back in August 2022 Alexander Isak DID go straight into the Newcastle team and scored at Anfield, then cheated out of a second with a very dubious offside call.

BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan, in his desperation to make this a very positive Liverpool story and very negative Newcastle United one, doesn’t even mention that Liverpool have been dismissed out of hand by Newcastle for Alexander Isak, that it is the Anfield club left scrabbling around for somebody well down their list to become a new first choice striker. Whereas Newcastle were looking for Ekitike to play second fiddle to Isak.

I certainly wouldn’t have been against Newcastle buying Hugo Ekitike, as he looks to have ability, just as Eddie Howe and NUFC identified when he was 19. However, the BBC Sports Editor also fails to point out that now aged 23, the fact is that Ekitike has only got one full impressive season behind him and that is in the weaker Bundesliga. As mentioned, he also hasn’t even been called up for the French national side as yet, so you are asking a lot of such an inexperienced player to come in and be the first choice striker at Liverpool.

I don’t think this would be a bad signing for Liverpool.

However, for the BBC Sports Editor to make out that this is some kind of disaster for Newcastle United and massive triumph for Liverpool, Ekitike becoming first choice at Liverpool and Alexander Isak continuing to be first choice at NUFC, is laughable in the extreme.

The Mag report – 15 July 2025:

Are Eddie Howe and Newcastle United finally going to sign Hugo Ekitike?

The last 72 hours it has become ever increasingly clear that this is the intention.

Newcastle United having made contact with the striker’s representatives to make known to Hugo Ekitike that they want to sign him.

Whilst NUFC also entering talks with Eintracht Frankfurt to try and agree a transfer fee.

As most of you will know, Eddie Howe and Newcastle United previously tried to sign Hugo Ekitike back in 2022.

Maybe though time for a reminder as to exactly what Hugo Ekitike said later, when explaining why he turned down Eddie Howe and Newcastle United three years ago.

The Ligue 1 club’s President saying that the FC Reims hierarchy were very happy with what Newcastle had offered…but it was up to the player himself and his representatives, whether the deal was completed.

On 16 July 2022, 45 days later after Newcastle’s offer was accepted by FC Reims, Hugo Ekitike was announced instead as PSG’s new signing.

Hugo Ekitike interviewed by Le Parisien in late July 2022, explaining why he ended up signing for PSG and not Newcastle United, what actually happened:

‘Did you put Newcastle on hold this summer, despite the agreement with Reims, because you were waiting for PSG?’

Hugo Ekitike:

“I had an appointment with Luis (Campos) which meant a lot for me.

“It was not so long ago.

“We talked a lot, he is someone I consider enormously.

“I wanted to come to PSG before this exchange but it convinced me even more.

“I don’t put aside everything Newcastle did to get me to come.

“If I had to go abroad, I would have gone there.

“But when PSG wants you and you’re French, you can’t refuse.”

‘What was the content of Luis Campos’ speech?’

“To convince me, you have to talk about sport. What interests me is the game and what can be implemented.

“We discussed that a lot, his vision, mine and we were in total osmosis.

“He sees me as a player with a lot of qualities and predicts an interesting future for me. I know he has confidence in me, he thinks I’m going to do great things and I will give him that confidence back on the pitch.”

“I wanted to come to PSG before this exchange, but it convinced me even more”

Hugo Ekitike stating that as a French player, he was already thinking he would prefer to go to PSG ahead of Newcastle United (or anywhere else) but was waiting to speak to Luis Campos. Hugo Ekitike saying that he had to wait for that appointment to speak to Campos, before he could then make a decision on his future, back in summer 2022.

Luis Campos only joined PSG on 10 June 2022 as their new football adviser, in charge of ‘organisation, recruitment and performance’ at the French club. So  basically, Hugo Ekitike and his agents knowing that Luis Campos was coming in to take charge of recruitment at PSG and nothing able to be done until that happened.

There was also talk of PSG having to wait until the new financial year (after 30 June 2022) before signing anybody and they made their first two signings on 1 July 2022, midfielder Vitinha and left back Nuno Mendes. Hugo Ekitike then announced on 16 July.

Having to wait his turn in the scheme of things, very likely that it was into July by the time Luis Campos was meeting him, a few weeks after starting his new job.

The previous decade had seen PSG win eight league titles, the only exceptions in that time were Monaco in 2016/17 and Lille in 2020/21. Luis Campos was the Sporting Director who recruited and built the teams at both of those other clubs, one of his key signings at Lille was Sven Botman, brought in for around £6m in summer 2020 as a 20 year old and a key player in that title winning team.