The second midfielder to sign for Liverpool this summer is Hungarian international Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m).
He arrives from RB Leipzig after a release clause of €70m was triggered.
Tough to spell and tough to pronounce (sobo-sly, he confirms), the initial reaction is that it’s also fairly tough to predict how he fits into Jurgen Klopp’s attacking line-up. Failure to qualify for the Champions League has led to a midfield revamp and it’ll be an intriguing Anfield pre-season.
So can the impressive 22-year-old justify the large fee and what impact will he have in FPL?
We’ll attempt to answer those questions below.
- READ MORE: FPL new transfers: Will Mac Allister be worth buying at Liverpool?
- READ MORE: FPL 2022/23 team reviews: Liverpool
THE HISTORY
With father Zsolt also being a professional player, Szoboszlai has football in his blood and played for various Hungarian youth teams prior to being picked up by the Red Bull system. Initially at Salzburg’s reserve side, Liefering, he scored 16 times in 42 matches before being called up to the first team halfway through 2018/19.
| Season | Team | Division | Starts (subs) | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | RB Leipzig | German Bundesliga | 28 (3) | 6 | 8 |
| 2021/22 | RB Leipzig | German Bundesliga | 15 (16) | 6 | 8 |
| 2020/21 | Salzburg | Austrian Bundesliga | 11 (1) | 4 | 7 |
| 2019/20 | Salzburg | Austrian Bundesliga | 18 (9) | 9 | 14 |
| 2018/19 | Salzburg | Austrian Bundesliga | 7 (9) | 3 | 4 |
Things quickly rocketed from there. Named the Austrian Bundesliga’s Player of the Season for 2019/20, he twice faced Klopp’s Liverpool in the Champions League and finished with seven domestic trophies. This was alongside 42 goals and 45 assists over 125 outings for both teams.
A move to RB Leipzig took place in December 2020 but a groin injury delayed his debut until the next season. The same issue caused him to miss Euro 2020 for Hungary, after his dramatic late winner versus Iceland secured their qualification.
Once fit, back-to-back DFB-Pokal triumphs have maintained Szoboszlai’s streak of winning silverware in every season of his career. That will excite Liverpool fans, as should this handy goodbye compilation from the official Bundesliga YouTube channel. It squeezes all 12 goals and 16 assists – split perfectly in half over two campaigns – into a four-and-a-half-minute video.
However, it should be said that he’s only been a primary starter for the most recent year.
Internationally, he’s already captain of Hungary and helped them do the double over England in last summer’s Nations League. His penalty brought a win 1-0 in Budapest, soon after helping to inflict the Three Lions’ worst home defeat since 1928.
Before all this, he went viral for whipping two perfect free-kicks into the top corner in the final five minutes of Hungary under-17s’ European Championship qualifier against Russia.
PLAYING STYLE
He is very highly regarded on WhoScored. Just look at all these listed strengths!
Liverpool’s new recruit is a good ball carrier capable of exquisite through balls and spectacular long-range goals.
Across his two Bundesliga seasons, just four players created more chances per 90 than Szoboszlai’s 2.50.
His average shot came from 23.2 yards last season; only Leroy Sane totalled more from outside the penalty area.
On FBRef, Szoboszlai ranked first in last season’s Bundesliga for shot-creating actions per 90, with the league’s site profiling him as a throwback to Portuguese legend Manuel Rui Costa.
‘An attacking midfielder by trade, Szoboszlai was often deployed in a wider role at Leipzig in 2022/23. Capable of picking a pass, feinting past opposition players and finishing with aplomb from all manner of angles, he’s a devilishly snug fit for both roles. The Leipzig number 17 is also a real threat from set-pieces, drawing comparisons with some of the great European playmakers of yesteryear.’ – Bundesliga website
Yet the player introduced himself to Liverpool supporters as someone who can fill various attacking roles and adapt to whichever system Klopp opts for.
“For me it doesn’t matter – I want to be on the pitch. But of course everybody has their own position. 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.” – Dominik Szoboszlai
WHERE DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI FITS IN AT LIVERPOOL
His versatility and genuine two-footedness offer so much potential. Season one at RB Leipzig was predominantly from the left wing but season two brought regular starts from the right side.
Above: Szoboszlai’s 2022/23 playing positions, according to Transfermarkt
Assuming that Klopp sticks with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) inverting into central midfield – creating a 3-box-3 formation – the educated guess is that Szoboszlai has been bought to be a right-sided ‘number 10’ next to Alexis Mac Allister (£6.0m).
As a creative midfielder who pulls wide, perhaps this allows Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) to play closer to goal and be more devastating than usual.
Alternatively, if Liverpool sometimes go with 4-2-3-1, the Hungarian fits into any spot behind the centre- forward.
Something else to consider from an FPL perspective is his wicked delivery from set-pieces – a real specialist, does this impact Alexander-Arnold’s appeal?
We’ll find out once Szoboszlai features in Klopp’s starting line-up, although the head coach has hinted at an easing-in process.
“Dominik is still a very young player. He has so much development ahead of him and this means it makes sense for us all to be patient and to give him the time and space to allow his talent to come through within our team. The good thing is we have supporters who understand this process.” – Jurgen Klopp
IS DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
With a Steven Gerrard quote tattooed on one arm and his famous number eight shirt now claimed, Szoboszlai would love to have a similar legacy at Anfield.
The early fixtures are mixed for the Reds, as a home match with Bournemouth is surrounded by tough trips to Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Things look better from Gameweek 9 onwards, allowing the playmaker to showcase himself to the FPL community before purchases are considered. Former boss Jesse Marsch claims he “is just as talented as Erling Haaland” – time will tell on that.
Szoboszlai’s £7.0m price tag may have some appeal. Surrounded by high-quality attackers to take advantage of his through balls and crosses, together with a superb two-footed technique for long shots and free-kicks, both Liverpool and FPL may have a new hero in town.
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10 months, 23 days agoI suspect this is going to be a season of frustration over rotation for FPL managers.
The good clubs you want to pick players from (Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Newcastle, Brighton) are all strengthening their squads and have many options in midfield and attack. All six are compromised by having European football too.