Liverpool have made great progress in their summer midfield overhaul after the signing of RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai. The Reds met the release clause in the Hungarian’s contract to ensure they won the race to sign him. Newcastle United were also linked with the player, but their Premier League rivals stole a march and secured his signature. Jurgen Klopp knew that this summer needed to be focused on midfield additions, as it was a clear weakness last season. After signing Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, supporters will be pleased with the progress that the club have made.
One of the strengths that Szoboszlai will bring is versatility. He is capable of playing in central midfield, on either flank, or as a number ten. It is likely that Liverpool have signed him to play as the right-sided central midfielder, but he will get minutes in attack too. Mohamed Salah doesn’t get rotated much, due to the lack of natural options in the squad. The club’s new signing could offer an option in that role.
Last season, Szoboszlai contributed six goals and eight assists in the Bundesliga, which underlines the threat that he carries. Those that watch him regularly will note his clean ball-striking ability. His long-range shooting is a particular strength and he will score some exceptional goals for Liverpool.
Szoboszlai is a more speculative shooter, averaging 2.12 shots per ninety minutes. These account for 0.2 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per ninety minutes, ranking him in the 47th percentile among attacking midfielders. This isn’t a big issue for Liverpool though, as they already have forwards that account for a large amount of their xG. They have brought in the Hungarian to add to their creativity.
He has this in spades. Last season, Szoboszlai averaged 5.09 shot-creating actions per ninety minutes. This places him in the 91st percentile among attacking midfielders. Put quite simply, he is a world-class creator. The quality of the chances he creates is also good, with an average of 0.28 expected assisted goals (xAG) per ninety minutes. Supporters should be excited about the potential link-up between him, Alexander-Arnold, and Salah down the right-hand side. It will be very difficult for opposition teams to deal with.
Liverpool already have an excellent set-piece taker in Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Andy Robertson is another capable player in the squad. Szoboszlai is unlikely to take over these duties full-time, but he does add another good option to the squad. The ability to rotate your takers is important, as it does make a team’s set pieces less predictable.
It is important that any signing is comfortable on the ball, as Liverpool will dominate most matches they play. They need individuals that can keep hold of the ball and break teams down. Szoboszlai attempted 55.59 passes per ninety minutes, at a success rate of 80%. The completion rate is very impressive, as he is often in the attacking third. Further to this, he makes 5.49 progressive passes per ninety minutes, which ranks in the 87th percentile. The Hungarian international will be very comfortable taking the ball under pressure and playing passes that can break down an opposition team.
As a player schooled in the Red Bull system, Szoboszlai is a very active and successful presser. This is a pre-requisite for Liverpool signings and he should have no issues settling into Klopp’s team. The one concern is his discipline, as he can be too aggressive at times. He picked up two red cards in the Bundesliga last season.
It is difficult not to be excited by this transfer. Szoboszlai has long been regarded as a world-class talent and he has shown consistent form in the Bundesliga. This will be a step up, but he should add creativity to Liverpool’s midfield.
