00:00So, it feels like it could be 2022 again with Newcastle United heavily linked with a move for Hugo Eketiki.
00:07Now, right now, speaking of 2025, it's a really exciting move.
00:11You know, Eketiki has developed himself into one of Europe's hottest young strikers.
00:1523 years of age, got plenty of goals and assists in Bundesliga last year.
00:19And someone who can play alongside Alexander Ezek, I'll say that again, alongside Alexander Ezek,
00:24no, instead of Alexander Ezek and Newcastle, is really exciting.
00:27Of course, Newcastle United fans have been here before.
00:30I've been here before as a journalist.
00:31We've all been here when Edgar Ezek's name is mentioned, deal, you know, talks about deals progressing, agents getting involved.
00:40Back in 2022, that was the story, you know, not just once, but twice.
00:45And there is feelings from Newcastle fans, certainly people.
00:48I think a lot of people have been deleting tweets, deleting, rewriting their opinions of the striker.
00:53But it's, you know, it's important to remember that three years ago, Newcastle United and Eketiki were in completely different places.
01:00And it's not a surprise when you look back at them rejections or them failed moves, why it happened.
01:05So I'm going to explain a little bit why those happened and why now it's different for a move for Eketiki.
01:10So as I said, back in January 2022, Newcastle, if you remember that win, I bought fantastically.
01:16Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimores, Dan Byrne, Matt Target.
01:21So it was a fantastic window for them.
01:22Right at the end of that window, Eketiki emerged as a target.
01:26As I mentioned, they'd already signed Chris Wood to play as a backup to Callum Wilson.
01:29But Eketiki had been identified as the next young prospect, you know, someone who could then, once Premier League survival was assured,
01:36it wasn't at that point, but once it was assured that he could take that game to the next level.
01:40Now that bid was finally accepted by Stan Rems at the time on the final day of the window.
01:47But Eketiki, unsurprisingly, as a youngster in France, decided to stay at the club he's developing at.
01:53He was playing well, he was getting lots of game time.
01:56And a move to St James Park at that time would have been a big risk.
01:59You know, there was even talk of him potentially making the French squad for the World Cup later that year.
02:02So you can see why at that stage, a young, you know, teenager didn't want to move to England, risk, you know, uprooting his family,
02:11the life he's built at a club that he was scoring at just to move to England.
02:15And potentially, you know, Newcastle could have been playing championship football the next season.
02:20It was very likely that stage.
02:21So that was the first field move.
02:23And you can see why that didn't work.
02:25Now we go on to the summer, Newcastle United did secure Premier League survival.
02:29They then looked to build on that with signings of Sven Botman.
02:33In particular, that's a man Nick Pope joined as well.
02:35And Eketiki was, again, on their list.
02:38But PSG's interest became known.
02:40And as soon as that happens, you can't, you know, every player,
02:44there's probably a select few players in the world who wouldn't turn down PSG at that point.
02:48For a young French player who burst through at his, you know, at the club,
02:53at his hometown club, the club he came through the academy system at,
02:56PSG's interest is known.
02:57Of course, you can sign for them.
02:59And so, again, feelings of, you know, did his agent go about it the right way?
03:04You know, Newcastle had been burned twice by Eketiki.
03:07Was he someone who was just going to continually, you know,
03:09forever lead the club on without any signings?
03:11But again, you can't really fault that.
03:13And as mentioned, you know, Newcastle United, as much as fans and journalists,
03:16we knew the ambition, you know, the project was clear, the survivor relegation.
03:20And they would go on to get the Champions League qualification at the end of that season.
03:23But at that stage, it was just a project.
03:25It was an exciting project, but it was just a project.
03:28I mean, it required a lot of buy-in from players to join.
03:31You know, Sven Botman joined, as I mentioned, that was a brilliant move.
03:34And Eketiki's refusal to join Newcastle actually benefited them,
03:39because ultimately, the end of that window, they ended it by signing Alexander Izak.
03:43So, you can't say that that move didn't work out for Newcastle in particular.
03:47Now, we all know Eketiki's struggled at PSG.
03:50He's rebuilt his career at Eintracht Frankfurt over the last season and a half.
03:53And now, Newcastle United are still an exciting project, but they've actually got some bodywork behind them that shows that they are progressing.
03:59You know, they've secured a Champions League qualification twice in three seasons.
04:02They've obviously won a major trophy.
04:04Obviously, Eketiki will look at players like Izak, like Sandro Tonali, Bruno, and some of the English players.
04:10Lewis Hall, Tino Liverpool, Anthony Gordon.
04:12He'll see that group of players.
04:14I think this is a club that can develop me.
04:16He's a manager, and Eddie Howe can develop me.
04:18And so, you know, it's not a place you go where it's a big risk,
04:20because Eketiki will know that if he can get game time in this team,
04:25he will score goals and he will be, you know, one of their big players.
04:27So, it's a move this summer, yes, will probably cost three times as much as it would have done three years ago,
04:32but Eketiki is a different player.
04:34He's a better player.
04:34He's more, you know, he's got a bodywork behind him that he's scored goals in Germany and in France as well.
04:42So, he's established himself.
04:44Newcastle have established themselves, and that's why it just seems to sort of make sense to move this summer now.
04:49The Izak factor will, of course, be mentioned, and no doubt there'll be fans in Merseyside
04:53and maybe North London and abroad thinking, you know,
04:55if Newcastle make a club record deal for Eketiki, that must mean Izak's going to go.
04:59But I don't think that's the case.
04:59I think the case will be, certainly for this year, that the two will play together.
05:03Whether that's in the same team, whether one can drop behind the other,
05:07or whether the player's two strikers, you know, that's up to Eddie Howe to find a way to get them both in.
05:11But then that unlocks potentially next year.
05:12If Izak goes and you've got Eketiki already made a replacement,
05:16adapting to Premier League football and adapting to Eddie Howe football is not easy.
05:18You know, Eketiki will take some deadening time.
05:21So, that might be another reason, you know, get this deal done now.
05:24And then in a year's time, if Izak goes, if the worst happens,
05:27then Eketiki is ready to hit the ground running.
05:29But right now, it's a really exciting move.
05:31Is it going to be a complicated one to get over the line?
05:33Yes, I mentioned it yesterday on my video.
05:34It's going to be a difficult one.
05:36The club record fee aside, you know, lots of clubs are going to be looking for Liverpool.
05:40Interest in Eketiki.
05:41And if Newcastle can get his signature, it's a real statement.
05:44Of course, the money is a big statement.
05:46And it will be shown that they are upwardly mobile on an upwards curve.
05:51And all the worries of the sojourn and whether we're going to get players actually is going to go and get Eketiki over the line.
05:57But as I said, there's still lots of moving parts, lots of deals we've done, but all the noise is positive.
06:01And, yeah, Newcastle United will hopefully, finally, after three years of trying, or three and a half years of trying, actually,
06:08will hopefully get their man.
06:11But, of course, the best way you can stay up to date with all the leaders, Hugo Aki, TK Tradford News,
06:14and the rest surrounding Newcastle United is with the Shields Gazette.
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