Hugo Ekitike made his first visit to St James after Liverpool won the game at Newcastle for a while.
Ekitike is a Howe player, and he is known to get rid of the concise scout report without blinking: Very good moves, smart, good in the air, and score goals on both feet. That's the low point. That's why Newcastle wants him.
“No doubt I really like Hugo and have been doing it for many years,” said Howe. “He's the guy we've tracked for a long time.”
That's an understatement.
In fact, Newcastle tried to sign Ekitike on three different occasions over three and a half years.
Newcastle first took action in January 2022, when Ekitike was not a completely household name.
But the 23-year-old always has great potential.
Few people know that it is better than former Brighton manager Oscar Garcia, who worked with Ekitike at the time.
“You didn't find a lot of forwards like him at that time,” Garcia recently told BBC Sport. “He was tall, fast, fluid, very good games, holding the ball and scoring goals. He could be suitable for teams that played more on the counter-offensive, and there were more teams that had because he had two styles of skills.
“Hugo knows what he can improve, but he also needs help developing his potential to reach levels that everyone who knows him can.”
However, Newcastle is not the only one in Premier League clubs who recognize these qualities.
Liverpool have also been following Ekitike after the striker rediscovered his spark at Eintracht Frankfurt after the frustrating spell of Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle may have proposed the opening ceremony to Eintracht last month, but Ekitike's eyes turned to £69 million after talking to Slot before moving to Liverpool.
A significant moment was proven in the transfer window. In more than one way.