Liverpool's Ekitike Gamble: Gallas Calls for New Forward

Liverpool’s summer planning has been thrown a sharp warning shot, with former France defender William Gallas insisting the club cannot simply bank on Hugo Ekitike returning as the same player after his serious Achilles injury.

The 24-year-old forward, signed to bolster the attack, is not expected back in competitive action until at least Christmas after damaging his Achilles in April’s Champions League tie against his former club Paris Saint-Germain. He is currently with the senior squad on the pre-season tour of the United States, working through his rehabilitation rather than fighting for a starting place.

For a club already dealing with the departure of Mohamed Salah and actively searching the market for a right-winger, Ekitike’s situation adds another layer of risk. Gallas believes Liverpool may need to go beyond a like-for-like Salah replacement and bring in an additional forward to protect themselves.

“I didn't have Hugo Ekitike’s injury, but I know it's very difficult to come back 100% after it,” Gallas told iPredicta. “Most of the players didn't make it.”

That is the fear. Achilles injuries are brutal. They rob players of explosiveness, of that half-yard that separates a promising run from a decisive one. Ekitike still has age on his side, but Gallas is not convinced that youth alone will solve the problem.

“I know he's still young, but he will have to take his time. Liverpool may have to think twice too. They may have to bring a new player, because nobody knows if he's going to be back in his best,” he said.

The message is clear: Liverpool cannot assume the calendar will fix everything. Time heals, but not always completely.

“Listen, we know when we get big injuries, it’s very difficult to come back to your best shape,” Gallas added, pointing to a cautionary tale from the Premier League. “Look what happened to Wesley Fofana from Chelsea. Before, when he was at Leicester, he had a season that was just unbelievable. And then he got that bad injury. And from that bad injury, he never came back to his best performance. It could be the same for Ekitike.”

That comparison will sting. Fofana was once one of the most exciting young defenders in England; his struggles since injury underline exactly what Liverpool are trying to avoid with their new forward.

While Gallas sounded a note of concern over Ekitike, he struck a far more optimistic tone about another of Liverpool’s summer arrivals. At the other end of the pitch, he believes £60million signing Jeremy Jacquet has the tools to step into the void left by Ibrahima Konate’s departure after his move from Rennes.

“Jeremy Jacquet is a big boy,” Gallas said. “He's a big boy and he's got quality. If you go to Liverpool, you know he has got quality. So now it's always the same question: you need to adapt and play alongside some of the best players.”

Anfield has long been a proving ground for centre-backs. The scrutiny is relentless, the expectations unforgiving. Gallas, who knows what it takes to survive at the top end of English football, sees the perfect guide already in place.

“Virgil van Dijk can help him a lot. Yeah, he needs some time, but I think he can do the job of replacing Ibrahima Konate.”

So Liverpool head into the new season with a rebuilt defence that Gallas believes can hold, and an attack carrying a sizeable question mark. The club must now decide: trust the rehab of a talented but injured forward, or move decisively again in the market before that doubt turns into a glaring weakness.