Liverpool will come face-to-face with Victor Osimhen on Tuesday evening but he doesn’t regret not signing him

Mark Jones Liverpool Content Editor

01:00, 30 Sep 2025

Arne Slot insists he is happy with his current forwards and didn't need to make a move for Victor OsimhenArne Slot insists he is happy with his current forwards and didn’t need to make a move for Victor Osimhen(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

When Arne Slot comes up against Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, the Liverpool boss won’t be thinking about the one that got away.

Osimhen terrorised Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in this competition three years ago in a 4-1 win as a Napoli player but the Nigeria international was not one of the two players Slot earmarked when it became clear a big-spending summer would be needed to reshape the forward line.

A late call will be made on Osimhen’s fitness by Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk for the game at RAMS Park but Slot outlined his happiness with the captures of £79m Hugo Ekitike and £125m Alexander Isak when asked if the 26-year-old attacker was on his shortlist when he and sporting director Richard Hughes sat down to assess who to target in the transfer window.

READ MORE: Arne Slot explains Federico Chiesa Liverpool omission as Reds star left at homeREAD MORE: Hugo Ekitike responds to Alexander Isak question and makes ‘not smart’ Liverpool admission

“We have added two No.9s,” Slot said. “So how should I say this the right way in English? Unfortunate is not the word I should use but because of an enormous tragedy with Diogo Jota, in the end we had to bring in two No.9s.

“We always thought we’d replace Darwin Nunez with one No.9, but we had to bring in two. We have always looked for very good players but it was always clear to us that from the start we wanted these two (Isak and Ekitike) if we needed two.”

Ekitike, who will return to the squad after missing Saturday’s defeat to Crystal Palace through suspension, said: “We play in such a big club. I can’t see any big clubs playing with just one striker in the squad. It is good that Alex is here.

“For me, at my age, I have a lot of things to improve and learn. It is good that he is here. It is for the coach to decide how we want to play. I have been playing in a two-striker composition, one striker, I can do a lot of things. If we have to play together, I can do that.”

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Ekitike is expected to start in Istanbul as Isak continues to build himself up to full fitness following a lack of pre-season football while his British-record move from Newcastle United played out.

“You call that a nice headache,” says Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry. “There is a choice now and Ekitike made himself a choice. He arrived and erased any doubts about the time it would take him to adapt. He showed that he is at the level to play for Liverpool.

“Nobody was questioning whether Isak would adapt after what he did for Newcastle. The question mark was more on Ekitike, and he answered the call.

“At every club, you need to have players of the same quality at every position, because if someone falls asleep then the guy that comes in can take your place. Credit is due – nobody thought [Ekitike] was going to arrive and perform like that.”