It looks set to be a summer of change at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp bids to overhaul a side which – by their lofty standards – performed way below expectations last season. A flying finish almost rescued Champions League qualification, but “almost” doesn’t cut it for a club that expects to be dining at the top table of European football as a bare minimum.
Out go stalwarts James Milner and Roberto Firmino, in addition to Naby Keita, who never quite delivered all that was hoped for, whilst promising youngsters, Rhys Williams, Harvey Davies, and Fabio Carvalho have all been farmed out on loan.
The Reds were one of the first to hit the football news headlines upon the opening of the window with the capture of the much-coveted Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion, and it seems their business is far from done, with a deal to sign the supremely talented Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig almost over the line. If this rate of star additions continues, punters taking advantage of the best betting offer sign up deals may be rushing to include Liverpool in their selections ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The £60Million Man
£60m is the price touted as Liverpool close in on the 22-year-old midfielder, with the Reds seemingly having acted in the nick of time to trigger the €70m release clause written into the contract of the Hungarian International. That price trigger expired on Friday 30th June, but by that stage, Liverpool already had Szoboszlai booked on a flight to complete his medical on Merseyside on Saturday 1st July.
This latest development seems to end the widespread speculation surrounding the future of the 32-cap international, who, last year helped RB Leipzig to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga and a German Cup success. Newcastle had been heavily linked with a move, but it appears that even the lure of Champions League football was not enough to sway Szoboszlai from his ambition to play for the Reds. But what will Liverpool be getting for their money?
A Complement to Mac Allister
A product of the Red Bull system, Szoboszlai made his professional debut as a 17-year-old with FC Liefering – the second team of RB Salzburg. By January 2018, he had progressed to be an automatic starter for RB Salzburg – hitting 16 goals in 56 appearances before moving to the top tier of the RB ladder in 2021 for a fee in the region of €20million. A relatively small sum by modern standards, but still enough to make the youngster the most expensive Hungarian football of all time – a record he now seems set to smash.
Whilst Alexis Mac Allister will likely add immediate balance to the Liverpool midfield with his tenacity, and ability to knit the play together, Liverpool will look to Szoboszlai to provide the moments of inspiration. With the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, and Darwin Nunez remaining on the books, the creative attacking midfielder will be blessed with the most potent array of weapons of his career.
One of the major selling points for Jurgen Klopp was likely the versatility of the right-footer. Good as he is in central areas, he has also excelled when deployed towards the right-hand side of a midfield three or four. Adept at finding space from that right-hand side slot, it is perhaps from this position that he is most able to find the space and angles to send his excellent deliveries into the area. Whilst his right foot is much the strongest, Szoboszlai is also fully effective when asked to roam the left channel and a huge threat when cutting inside and letting fly.
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