Former Premier League chairman Simon Jordan is a big fan of Dominik Szoboszlai with Liverpool’s £60 million signing a ‘massive upgrade’ on those he replaced at Anfield.
When Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all said their goodbyes over the summer, concerns were inevitably raised about how Jurgen Klopp would go about restructuring a Liverpool midfield which had defined a generation.
Concerns which only grew after the Merseyside giants missed out on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat.
Klopp’s laugh, however, could yet be the last, and the longest. Dominik Szoboszlai, a £60 million acquisition from RB Leipzig, has comfortably outperformed all of the aforementioned quartet in the Premier League this season, with Jordan telling talkSPORT (24 November, 10.50am) that Liverpool have got themselves a ‘proper player’.
“If you look at the new midfield players Liverpool have got in there, this is a massive upgrade on what they had last season,” the former Crystal Palcae chief argues.
“Look at the Hungarian lad they have got in there. He is a proper player. And also they’ve got Alexis Mac Allister, a World Cup winner.
“So I think Liverpool are the side (most likely to challenge Manchester City)”
Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off away at the champions could be the biggest test yet of both Liverpool and their new number eight, Szoboszlai going head-to-head with Rodri, Bernardo Silva and co.
‘Szoboszlai has been incredible’
Anfield icon John Barnes, meanwhile, believes that the one-time Red Bull Salzburg playmaker is a footballer tailor-made for Klopp’s crash-and-bang style. Szoboszlai, he adds, might not have been quote so immediately influential under Pep Guardiola’s more controlled gameplan.
“Szoboszlai has been incredible. That’s how good the scouting is, because Liverpool sign players who will suit the way Liverpool play. I don’t think he’d suit Man City or Arsenal, and he probably wouldn’t go there!” talkSPORT quotes Barnes.
“From the first time I saw him, he was just incredible. He could play anywhere. He reminds me of Steven Gerrard to a certain extent. You don’t necessarily get box-to-box midfield players who can defend, who can attack, but that’s what he does.
“I’ve been so impressed with him and he’s level-headed. He’s 22, (and) he’s been fantastic. He’s been our best player.”
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