Town Eyeing Italian Striker
Friday, 12th Jun 2026 15:17

The Blues have been keeping tabs on Genoa striker Jeff Ekhator, who recently made his debut for Italy, TWTD understands.

The 19-year-old joined his hometown club’s youth ranks aged eight and made his senior debut in August 2024.

Ekhator, who is contracted to the summer of 2029, has now made 16 senior starts and 41 sub appearances, scoring two goals.

Having won caps at U19 and U21 levels, the 6ft 2in-tall frontman, who also qualifies to play international football for Nigeria, won his first senior cap for Italy earlier this month, starting and playing the first half of the 2-0 friendly victory over Greece.

Town will be looking to add to all areas of the squad ahead of their return to the Premier League with more of a focus overseas than was the case two years ago following the previous promotion.

While looking to add more Premier League experience than they did in the summer of 2024, the Blues are unlikely to completely move away from the model of signing younger players who can progress while at Portman Road, a hallmark of their transfer business since the 2021 takeover.

Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

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runningout added 15:23 - Jun 12 looks decent
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pingu67 added 15:25 - Jun 12 so approx 40 seconds of a 2 minute clip is just showing us that he can run?
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Linkboy13 added 15:25 - Jun 12 Take these stories with a pinch of salt. As for taking on younger players to develop for the future as we did in 2021 none have really looked Premier league quality but i stand to be corrected.
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Terrystowel added 15:31 - Jun 12 60 appearances and 2 goals doesn't qualify you to be called a striker imo
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Broadbent23 added 15:38 - Jun 12 Not Premiership ready or prolific yet. A good addition to the Academy. Also is he ready to leave Italy. Our scouts can look but we need recruits ready to battle. Also we need a new manager to help build the side for the new season.
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blueboy1981 added 15:49 - Jun 12 Cue the Hissy Fits - Schools out for the day now !
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SickParrot added 15:58 - Jun 12 Italy must be desperately short of quality strikers if a lad with only 2 senior goals is picked. No wonder they didn't qualify for the World Cup again.
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AljoBlue added 16:00 - Jun 12 at least we are consistent in looking for non-goalscoring strikers
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Bazza8564 added 16:08 - Jun 12 I remember a lad at this age being sent out on loan to Leyton Orient, then on to Millwall then to Leicester and then to Norwich where he struggled to score much but was still developing, growing and maturing as a player and as a young adult. His name was Harry Kane and he turned out alright. If you're expecting Ronaldo at 19, you're bonkers.....trust the process
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positivity added 16:09 - Jun 12 yes, jeff
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benslifeyt added 16:13 - Jun 12 One for the future. To replace ali I reckon
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blueoutlook added 16:19 - Jun 12 We haven’t got a manager. How can we possibly know what he wants until he gets here. These are just stories. Nothing in them. The new guy will have his own ideas and wants.
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Razor added 16:27 - Jun 12 No no no 2 goals in 60 appearances do me a favour and who called him, a striker?
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keighleyblue added 17:31 - Jun 12 Prolific. Not.
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blueboy1981 added 17:33 - Jun 12 Without a Manager / Coach ? - that does not fit at all well as it seems right now.
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StowTractor added 17:43 - Jun 12 We have a recruitment team and scouts who will be looking at potential targets. When the new man comes in he will need to hit the ground running as the window will already be open. So it makes sense for them to have scouted a list of names to show to the new manager, for him to decide what works.
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Scooterman added 17:59 - Jun 12 The club has to be looking at new players still, not twiddling its thumbs. If something goes wrong, the new manager could be weeks away, and time is short. I suspect the scouts see something more than stats. If there's a wunderkind out there, we'd be in a long queue!!
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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 18:07 - Jun 12 These stories are nonsense. We can't possibly be looking at players because we don't have manager. We don't know who is staying, who is going, who is under contract but now wants out. I think the fall out from McKenna leaving will have a ripple effect through the squad.
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bluesissy added 18:16 - Jun 12 No thanks..... nothing to see here ...next?
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Zonny added 18:18 - Jun 12 54 Appearances and only 4 goals not good enough
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armchaircritic59 added 18:27 - Jun 12

Interesting one, just had a dive into his stats, no eye test to go on! As been said above not prolific, however 2/3 things need to be kept in mind. Just 19, 6ft 2ins and must have bags of scope for improvement under the right manager/coaching staff. Also when played as an out and out centre forward last season, 7 starts and 2 goals. I'm very well aware that Italian football isn't what it once was at the moment, but the fact that he's got a cap, suggests he's got something about him. That's all I can relate, It's up to recruitment!

Blue_Heath added 19:07 - Jun 12 We need players ready from the off not 3 or 4 years time.
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Bob1966 added 19:08 - Jun 12 How can you buy someone ahead of a new manager who might not want him Ashton again playing FM26
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BerksBlue15 added 19:41 - Jun 12 Unless the plan is to buy players we can improve/nurture a bit and then spin on for a profit in a year's time (for further reading also see Delap, Liam and Hutchinson, Omari)
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armchaircritic59 added 20:05 - Jun 12

BerksBlue, that sounds fine in principle, in actuality all it ever does is get rid of anyone decent that you've nurtured, weakening the team and lead to a never ending spiral of mediocrity, which shows to me a complete lack of ambition. If we truly have ambitions of dining at the top table again, you keep your best players, not sell them. Which is why of course season after season we see the same old usual suspects around the top of the PL table. They just buy the players everyone else has taken seasons to nurture. It's a less than magic roundabout that needs to be broken.