Liverpool have completed their second first team transfer of the summer, with RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai joining. He follows Brighton & Hove Albion’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister to Anfield, with manager Jurgen Klopp continuing to reinforce his midfield.
There was always likely to be major reinforcements in the middle of the park given how lightweight Liverpool were in the position last season. Juventus loanee Arthur Melo was a failure while the now-departed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner all struggled to stake a real claim. Captain Jordan Henderson is still formidable on his day, but at 33 years old those days are getting further apart. Hip surgery limited the usually-influential Thiago Alcantara to just 18 Premier League games.
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There was one midfield success story on the red half of Merseyside last season. 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic graduated into the first team, looking the part in 19 games across all competitions. But even his season was doomed, when an adductor injury ended his campaign in March.
But Klopp and Liverpool have acted quickly to fill the gaps in their engine room. Mac Allister comes in nominally as a creative number ten type, though he can play elsewhere in midfield. A free-roaming force who often picks the ball up in wide areas to stretch the play, he can help aid an attack that had lost its lustre last season.
On the face of it, Szoboszlai offers some similar facets to Mac Allister. Both are adept, line-breaking creative passers. Both can slot in across the midfield, offering fluidity and adaptability to Klopp’s gameplan. They are also both excellent set-piece takers. Both men played the majority of their games last season in the number ten role. But a broader look at their careers shows where they could slot in together.
Szoboszlai may have primarily played as an attacking midfielder for Leipzig last season, but it isn’t his most common position. The Hungary international has actually operated in a slightly deeper central midfield role for most of his career. He has also spent a number of games on each wing. While Klopp often prefers out-and-out forwards out wide, Szoboslai’s signing offers an alternative. If a team can’t be broken by freewheeling attacking force, the new signing’s cerebral, passing approach can be utilised.
Mac Allister is also adaptable, having even played the odd game as a centre forward. But when not playing as a traditional ten, the Argentina international has quite commonly dropped into a deep-lying midfield role. Given his passing acumen, this could be particularly useful for building attacks from the back. If Szoboszlai is deployed ahead of him this would also allow for overlaps and interchanges, allowing Liverpool to pull their opposition out of position and then strike.
Liverpool fans were aghast when the club threw the towel in on their Jude Bellingham pursuit. But what they have done is quite smart. Rather than get into a bidding war with Real Madrid and inviting a summer-long saga that likely would have still seen him go to the Bernabeu, they have spent wisely. Two midfielders have joined in Bellingham’s stead, each offering contrasting options tactically. Given the amount of departing players and the ageing nature of those staying, landing two top midfielders aged 22 and 24 was the correct play. With Bajcetic there to learn alongside them, and the still-capable Henderson and Alcantara hopefully fit and available, suddenly a position of weakness starts to look strong.
Liverpool had more issues than their midfield when they limped to fifth last season. Their defence will surely be the focus of Klopp’s attention now given its leaky nature and the improvements already made up front in recent windows. But in Szoboszlai, Liverpool seem to have landed a player that fits their culture, improves upon what they have and offers intriguing possibilities alongside fellow new boy Mac Allister. Watch out Premier League teams, Liverpool’s midfield might not be the exploitable soft-centre of last season any more.
