In Focus: How Szoboszlai will star in new-look Liverpool side

Dominik Szoboszlai will add plenty of options to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad. 

The versatile midfielder joins for a reported £60million fee from RB Leipzig and will link up with fellow new signing Alexis Mac Allister in a revamped engine room. 

Ahead of the Reds' pre-season campaign, we take a look at the qualities that Szoboszlai will bring to Anfield and how he might be employed. 

Leipzig success

Szoboszlai scored 10 goals and assisted 13 more for Leipzig in 2022-23. 

He was the main creative attacking outlet for the German side, with his team-mates constantly looking to give him the ball. 

Only Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich received more passes in the Bundesliga last season and only Sadio Mane attempted more shots from outside the box. 

The Hungarian also impressed with his work-rate and running ability. Standing 6ft 1in, he ranked highly for ball carrying, sprints and possession won in the final third. 

A set-piece specialist, Szoboszlai looks to be the type of midfielder that Klopp loves, combining technical quality with athleticism. 

An interesting aspect of his acquisition is where Liverpool will intend to play him, as it is unlikely to be in the role that he mainly occupied for Leipzig last season. 

Positional change

Szoboszlai was generally used as a right winger at Leipzig, who occasionally also played him on the left and as a central attacking midfielder. 

At Liverpool, it would be a major surprise if Mohamed Salah was shifted from his favoured position on the right of the attack. 

It would seem likely Szoboszlai will line up in an attacking role, probably on the right, with Mac Allister on the left and a more defensive player behind them. 

Klopp's success at Liverpool has been built on a 4-3-3 formation that relied heavily upon the dynamism of his midfielders but he recently altered his strategy. 

Towards the end of last season, Trent Alexander-Arnold moved into a central midfield position when Liverpool were in possession, reverting to right-back when they lost the ball. 

This shift saw the 4-3-3 become more of a 3-2-2-3, with the wider central midfielders being able to push up into more attacking areas. 

With this formation, Klopp's side ended the season with an 11-match unbeaten run. Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones were employed in those central attacking midfield roles. 

Szoboszlai and Mac Allister look like high-quality upgrades. The Hungary captain will be able to combine with Alexander-Arnold and Salah, giving Liverpool real strength on the right. 

Klopp verdict

Following Szoboszlai's arrival, Klopp spoke out about signing the 22-year-old. 

He said: "We already have a little knowledge of Dominik as an opponent because we had a couple of really tough games against FC Salzburg when he was a player there. 

"I'm pretty sure he was still a teenager at that time and since then he has made some big strides. 

"Moving to Leipzig, doing really, really well in the Bundesliga, playing for the Hungary national team and then becoming captain of his national team at an incredibly young age. 

"This is a signing for our present and also for our future, and the work that has gone into it could not be more appreciated." 

How to say Szoboszlai

You may we wondering how to pronounce the name Szoboszlai. Breaking it up into three syllables, it is: 'Sob-oss-lie'.