To say Liverpool moved swiftly to sign Dominik Szoboszlai would be a bit of an understatement.
David Ornstein broke the news that the Reds were ‘exploring’ a move for the 22-year-old on Wednesday. By Sunday, the Hungary skipper had signed a five-year deal after the Merseysiders activated his £60million release clause.
Prior to those reports earlier in the week, there had been no mention of the RB Leipzig midfielder. The focus appeared to be firmly fixed on Khephren Thuram.
However, the move for Szoboszlai should not have come as too much of a surprise. Liverpool were in the market for Mason Mount and multiple outlets claimed they were the Chelsea midfielder’s likely destination.
He was tipped to succeed Jordan Henderson as the right-sided centre-midfielder, capable of playing in central areas while also being able to take up positions overlapping Mohamed Salah.
He was a goal threat and a creator - involving himself in 21 Premier League goals during the 2021/22 campaign. The England international was also highly technical and his use of the ball went under the radar.
The Reds clearly wanted a player with that sort of profile. There aren’t many out there but Szoboszlai certainly fell into that category.
The former Red Bull Salzburg youngster impressed in what was effectively his first season as a starter at the Red Bull Arena. He finished the 2022/23 campaign with 7.18 Infogol rating having chipped in with six goals and eight assists.
At one stage of the season, he had a run of seven assists in seven Bundesliga matches. Szoboszlai was making up for lost time.
He made the switch from Salzburg to Leipzig during the January transfer window in 2021.
An abductor injury meant he didn’t make his debut for the Bundesliga side until the 2021/22 campaign and he was eased in, featuring 31 times but amassing just a little over 1,500 minutes.
Marco Rose was appointed as the manager early into the 2022/23 season and his 4-2-2-2 system saw Szoboszlai move from the left side of the pitch over to the right. It is this role he will likely play for the Reds in their new-look 3-2-2-3 shape with the new Liverpool No8 playing almost as a right-sided attacking midfielder when the team are in possession.
Szoboszlai is an upgrade on Henderson.
Physically, the pair do share some similarities.
The 32-cap Hungary international is the same height as the Liverpool skipper, he is a powerful runner and has the stamina to get about the pitch.
Jurgen Klopp likes physicality in his midfield and a key part of his plan is being able to bully teams with and without the ball - and that requires a lot of running. Szoboszlai can do all of that but he’s better in possession and, perhaps more importantly, 11 years younger than Henderson.
The 22-year-old can do everything Henderson can without the ball but much more with it. He was averaging over five shot-creating actions last season while having an expected assists (xA) per 90 average of 0.31.
By comparison, Jordan Henderson was averaging 3.14 shot-creating actions and had an xA/90 average of 0.14, and the Liverpool captain was seeing more of the ball and averaging close to 15 more passes per 90.
The former RB Leipzig man slots seamlessly into that right-sided role and allows Klopp to manage Henderson’s minutes a little better without having to change the dynamic of the team.
Previously, he would use Harvey Elliott there. The 20-year-old is immensely talented but he’s the polar opposite of the Liverpool No14. He’s 5ft7 and left-footed. He doesn’t hold the width and wants to cut inside all of the time. He’s also nowhere near as physical.
But the beauty of the signing is that Szoboszlai is as versatile as they come in the final third.
He mentioned it in his first official interview with Liverpool, saying: "To be honest, for me it doesn’t matter - I want to be on the pitch. But of course, everybody has their own position.
"Of course, attacking midfielder as a 10, I can play on both 10s, left, right, on the sides also. Just I want to play. I’m a player who can play box-to-box; quite fast but not the fastest as I see the players here. I have quite a good shot. But I’m not only me, it’s the team, so I’m looking forward [to that]."
With Salah expected to miss games due to the African Cup of Nations, the new No8 could potentially play as a right-winger.
If the Reds switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Cody Gakpo as the attacking midfielder behind Darwin Nunez, Szoboszlai could rotate with the Dutchman in that role. It is unlikely the Reds will need to use him on the left given they have Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin and even Gakpo.
Similarly, the left side of the midfield role looks pretty busy with Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic all capable of playing there. Having another player who can do a job there is hardly a negative though, is it?
The Reds have added a winner to their ranks in Szoboszlai. Despite his tender years, he’s already won the Austrian Bundesliga on four occasions, the Austrian Cup three times and he helped RB Leipzig claim back-to-back DFB-Pokal successes, even scoring in the 2023 final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 22-year-old scored the goal that sent Hungary to Euro 2020 and he scored the winner against England in a Nation’s League match.
He steps up in high-pressure situations and this is the sort of player Liverpool need. Someone to come in clutch. Someone with the experience of winning.
The 2019/20 Premier League champions have pulled off two stunning pieces of business this summer to secure Mac Allister and Szoboszlai for a combined £95million in this market, especially when you consider Arsenal are reportedly paying £105million for Declan Rice while Chelsea are expected to part with around £90million for Moises Caicedo.
Smart money often trumps big money.
