Scout Report: Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool continued their midfield revolution, adding Hungarian talisman Dominik Szoboszlai to their ranks, in a deal that see’s the Red’s spend £60m to bring in the player from RB Leipzig.
The midfielder, though highly touted, is relatively unknown to those who haven’t seen German football over the past two years, so what can the forward-thinking player bring to Merseyside.
As a youngster, Szoboszlai was passed around different youth academies, as year-on-year his stock would continue to grow. In 2017 he would make his senior debut, for Austrian Second Division side, Liefering.
Liefering just so happened to be part of the Red Bull group, and like most talented youngsters within the system, Szoboszlai was moved on to Red Bull Salzburg after one season in the lower divisions.
It was in Austria’s top level, where the playmaker would come to life and begin to show just what he can do. He made his debut in 2018 and would score his first goal just a month into his Salzburg career. A year later the biggest stage, the Champions League, Szoboszlai scored on his debut in a 6-2 victory over Genk.
Within the same year, the youngster would make his debut for his national side, the team he would become captain of just four years on and secured his next step in the Red Bull system, with a move to RB Leipzig.
Following an injury hit first campaign in Germany, the Hungarian Captain then made himself a mainstay in the Leipzig side, playing in any attacking role within the midfield, or on the right side of a front three. In his final year in the Bundesliga, Szoboszlai made 28 appearances, scoring six goals and registering eight assists.
Szoboszlai undoubtable fits the versatility check when it comes to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, being able to slot into a front three, and play anywhere in midfield three, so long as he is allowed attacking freedom. He is a player that enjoys getting wide on the pitch, with a strong range of passing and crossing that will suit the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, should they both be deployed on the right side. Not only does the player possess quality on the ball, but he is also not afraid to get back, loving a tackle, even if it doesn’t work out all the time, with the Hungarian picking up two red cards in last season’s Bundesliga.
His X-factor comes in the form of long shots, with Szoboszlai not being afraid to have a go from different areas of the pitch, and quite often, converting.
The Hungarian midfielder is the complete attacking midfielder, that fits Klopp’s versatility and comes with pedigree behind him. At just 22, Szoboszlai could end up being the driving force of Liverpool for years to come.
