After weeks of uncertainty, transfer rumors and boiling frustration from Liverpool fans, the time has FINALLY come for a new signing this summer window. Following the signing of World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister from Brighton & Hove Albion for a ridiculously cheap £35m, fans began to question owner John W. Henry’s integrity once again.
It’s no secret that a vast majority of Liverpool fans genuinely dislike Henry and his Fenway Sports Group. Liverpool hasn’t seen any big money signings since using the Phillipe Countinho funds to acquire Virgil Van Dijk in January of 2018.
FSG has never been one to splash the cash or break the bank in general but with so many rumors and links to big name players such as Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe (hilarious link), it sold many Liverpool fans a dream that would never really come true.
While the Jude saga was quite the tease given Liverpool actually were in the race for him at one point, it just didn’t make sense to put all of their eggs in one basket. The Reds midfield has been aging and declining since 2020 and has needed a complete revamp for the last two seasons I’d argue.
With injury prone Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, an aging James Milner and Jordan Henderson and a declining Fabinho, Liverpool’s midfield was never going to compete with the likes of Manchester City or Real Madrid for example.
Now that Keita, Chamberlain and Milner have all gone their separate ways following the expiration of their contracts this summer, Liverpool had no choice but to address the midfield.
After pump-faking Manchester United into paying £60M for Mason ‘Mickey’ Mount and acquiring MacAllister for nearly half of that sum, there was no real motion on Liverpool’s end in terms of getting another deal done before July 1st.
That was until the morning of June 30th when reports were flying in about Liverpool’s interest in 22-year-old Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (Szobo). After a few hours of speculation we finally were given the famous ‘HERE WE GO’ from journalist Fabrizio Romano who reported that Liverpool triggered the £60M release clause for their target.
Szobo is another product of RB Salzburg’s academy having played for Austrian club FC Liefering before making his debut for parent club Salzburg. He then made a move to German club RB Leipzig following four seasons and seven trophies with RB Salzburg.
Liverpool and RB Salzburg have an amazing relationship that has seen the likes of Sadio Mane, Takumi Minamino and Keita all eventually end up at Anfield at one stage of their careers. Szobo will follow the same path and help manager Jurgen Klopp in rebuilding his Mighty Reds back to domestic and European glory.
Szobo can virtually play anywhere on the attacking end pitch though he is probably best suited for an advanced midfield role. He’s been deployed in the heart of the midfield and on both flanks as a left mid/wing and a right mid/wing as well.
That versatility is going to be huge for Liverpool given the amount of quality forwards the club already has and the potential system switch to get Trent Alexander-Arnold more involved in a midfield role.
According to transfermarket.us, Szobo has bagged 64 goals and recorded 73 assists in 226 games in all club competitions. Those numbers include the 23 g/a he recorded this past season which is more than what all Liverpool midfield players combined managed (16) in what was a disappointing season for the club.
He also has won nine, count em, nine trophies since the 2017-18 season which includes back-to-back DFB-Pokal’s with RB Leipzig. With a handful of titles already to his name, he will be pushing for more with Liverpool as they look to reclaim the Premier League from Manchester City.
Szobo will bring so much class and goal creating capability to this Liverpool midfield which they have desperately needed for years. When Liverpool were at their lowest points this season, it took Trent having to step into the midfield to create chances which ultimately worked.
Although Trent did excel in his new role, he can’t be the only player relied on to create chances and that’s where Szobo comes in. Not only can he pick out a great pass but he’s so smooth on the ball and loves to have a crack from outside the area.
Szobo can make an immediate impact on the Liverpool midfield and at just 22-years-old, can terrorize opposing Premier League defenses for the next decade should he decide to stay that long. Alongside MacAllister, Trent and hopefully Khépren Thuram, Liverpool could become one of the best goal scoring sides in Europe once again.
At the time of writing Szobo has just been announced by the club and fans, including myself, are raving about this signing. After inking a 5-year deal, Szobo will revolutionize this team as we near the end of the Klopp era.
As a Liverpool fan I am so excited to see what he can do on the pitch and can’t wait to see him playing at Anfield. Szobo has also taken the legendary number 8 shirt worn by none other than club legend Steven Gerrard.
You’ll Never Walk Alone, Dominik Szoboszlai.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Liverpool FC
Writing Roundball 
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