When Liverpool somewhat shockingly triggered the £60 million release clause in Dominik Szoboszlai’s RB Leipzig contract it was a pleasant surprise. That Szoboszlai is now the 4th most expensive signing in club history should not make fans nervous.
At 22 years old, he is already the Captain for his Hungary National Team and has just begun scratching the surface of what he can offer to a top team.
He’s the first true attacking midfielder that the Reds have had in quite some time. The fluidity of Jurgen Klopp’s formations tends to prefer box-to-box profiles or defensive anchors.
Liverpool’s new No. 8, Szoboszlai has the game and confidence to settle in quickly to make an impact. His passing vision and aggression going forward should mesh very well with the forwards at Anfield, who all love to run and go at defenses.
Szoboszlai burst onto European radars during the 2019/20 season with RB Salzburg in Austria. During that campaign, he recorded 12 goals and 18 assists across all competitions.
He was playing with future Premier League forwards in Patson Daka, future Red Takumi Minamino and the powerhouse before he became a powerhouse, Erling Haaland.
With the Hungary international pulling the strings in attack, Salzburg blitzed the Austrian Bundesliga to the tune of a +76 goal difference.
This made Szoboszlai one of the hottest prospects on the continent. However, the Red Bull connection allowed German Bundesliga contenders Leipzig to win his signature in a €36 million move.
The Hungarian attacker settled into the side quickly and over his time in Germany, he made 91 appearances scoring 20 and creating another 22.
What makes Szoboszlai such an exciting addition to Liverpool is the two teams he is coming from, RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, play very progressive attacking football. This means he should relish coming into this Reds side.
Having made connections with the likes of Haaland, Timo Werner and Christopher Nkunku, he has plenty of experience with World Class forwards and figuring out what they need from him to maximize their output.
This is not to even discuss his positional versatility. While he is a true attacking midfielder, he has no problem playing out wide on either wing as he is strong with both feet.
His final game for Leipzig this past Spring came in the German Cup Final where he scored the winning goal coming off the right wing and finished to the far post.
That sort of attacking awareness will suit him nicely as he learns the ins and outs of what Klopp will expect from him. He is not a player that needs to score goals to make an impact. His passing range, football IQ and unselfishness should help the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo really take off.
At only 22 years old, Szoboszlai has loads of talent that is ready to be unleashed on defenders for years to come. Surrounding him with the attacking players already at Liverpool will be mutually beneficial for all.
Fellow new boy Alexis Mac Allister might already have the Premier League experience, but Szoboszlai should have no problem settling in quickly and making his mark.
TAA might have a pesky new friend eager to take the free kicks now and in the future. That’s a problem we are lucky to have as a club.
Liverpool did excellent business in securing the Hungarian’s services now and in the long-term. He is the perfect player that a new generation in midfield can be built around.
The lad has shown remarkable leadership and maturity levels for his young age, so pulling on the famous Reds shirt should not deter him.
It’s going to be brilliant viewing watching him go every week.