Liverpool's €70m bargain - Dominik Szoboszlai has thrived as Jürgen Klopp's new no.8
Liverpool continued their impressive start to the new Premier League season on Sunday, with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over an impressive West Ham side that had every intention of causing an upset at Anfield. However, despite going into the break at half-time level on goals, Jürgen Klopp’s side rallied in the second half and ended up picking up a well-deserved three points for their troubles.
The result now means that Liverpool have gone unbeaten in their first six games of the league season. A feat made all the more impressive by the fact that Klopp and his backroom staff were forced to make serious changes to their squad in the summer transfer window. So much so that the Liverpool manager has started referring to this new-look team as “Liverpool 2.0.” And at the heart of it is an exceptionally talented new signing in Hungary international Dominik Szoboszlai.
Why Liverpool signed Dominik Szoboszlai
Signed from RB Leipzig for no less than €70 million, Szoboszlai made the move to Anfield in the summer as not only the club’s third most expensive signing ever but also with the added pressure of being tasked with plugging a number of holes in Klopp’s team. Alongside fellow new recruits Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool have had to make wholesale changes to their midfield following the departure of James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson.
Despite many of the new faces not exactly being like-for-like replacements for the players they’ve been tasked to fill in for, Liverpool have undoubtedly looked far more dynamic in the middle of the pitch and alongside Mac Allister, fans of the Anfield club have undoubtedly been delighted by the start Szoboszlai has made to life in the Premier League. Even if the 22-year-old talent has had to slightly alter his game to fit into Klopp’s tactics.
How good has Dominik Szoboszlai been for Liverpool?
Indeed, while the Hungary international was played further forward as a No.10 or even at times as a second striker during his time in the Bundesliga, Szoboszlai has transitioned to the role of a classic No.8 in Liverpool’s midfield trio. And while it is still early days and perhaps too soon to draw any concrete conclusions, the initial data suggests that Liverpool’s new signing is taking to the expanded role of being a box-to-box midfielder tremendously well.
For example, although Szoboszlai has only bagged one goal in his first six Premier League games, he’s still offered plenty in an attacking sense for his new team. According to Opta, among Liverpool’s players, the midfielder ranks first for completed dribbles, second for key passes and fourth for shots on target. And when we couple that with impressive defensive stats such as Szoboszlai coming in second for total passes, second for total touches and second for tackles won, it goes some way to showing how complete the player has been in Liverpool’s midfield. And why he has so far proven to be worth every penny for the Anfield club.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Oct 25, 2000 (23)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Liverpool FC
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2028
- Position:
- Central Midfield
- Market Value:
- €75.00m
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 16.06.1967 (56)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Liverpool FC
- Current Position:
- Manager
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2026
- In charge since:
- Oct 8, 2015
- Total Market Value:
- €941.90m
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 3.
- Manager:
- Jürgen Klopp
- Squad size:
- 31
- Latest Transfer:
- Ryan Gravenberch