Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal will reportedly scout Red Bull Salzburg star Dominik Szoboszlai in the Champions League tonight?
Almost 12 months ago today, The Evening Standard broke the news that Liverpool wanted to take Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal to Anfield.
Considering that Jurgen Klopp has spent his managerial career eking the enigmatic talents out of clever, creative central midfielders like Philippe Coutinho, Mario Gotze and Ilkay Gundogan, his interest in a man who is at his best when making late runs into the box and unpicking opposition defences was no surprise.
Ramsey is exactly the kind of high-octane, forward-thinking footballer Klopp builds his teams around.
As we all know, however, Ramsey opted not to go down the Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain route, instead following fellow Welshman Gareth Bale to the continent where Juventus were waiting, armed with a suitcase full of cash and a key role in a Serie A winning team.
The new Ramsey?
But, one year on, Liverpool are now apparently taking a keen interest in a player who, while 10 years Ramsey’s junior, possesses the same characteristics that made the long-serving Arsenal favourite such a coveted talent during his formative years as a fuzzy haired teen at Cardiff City.
The Sun (2 October, page 52) claims that Liverpool will take a keen look at the £15 million-rated Dominik Szoboszlai tonight as Red Bull Salzburg take on Klopp’s reigning champions at Anfield. The Hungarian international is the latest rising star on Liverpool’s radar after the summer signings of Harvey Elliott and Sepp Van der Berg while Arsenal are also expected to send scouts to Merseyside as they aim to fill the Ramsey-shaped void in Unai Emery’s midfield (The Mail).
Szoboszlai might compare himself to Toni Kroos, one of the best deep-lying playmakers in the game today, but he’s far more comfortable in an advanced role and drifting in from the left rather than sitting and spraying passes in front of the defence.
In 10 games this season, Szoboszlai has scored or assisted six goals with his wand of a right foot while netting a devilish free-kick during the September international break too.
He might not be the finished product like Ramsey but, for Arsenal and Liverpool, he could perform a very similar role with a couple of years’ experience under his belt.
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