Editor’s Column: Dom Szobozlai is Liverpool’s best midfielder since Steven Gerrard

When Liverpool signed Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m in the summer, fans were happy. We’d got an attacking midfielder through the door for big money. It all happened relatively quickly and the Reds beat a deadline to pay his £60m release-clause from Rb Leipzig. There were no celebrations in the street, though.

No other big European clubs were especially interested. There were rumours Newcastle United were keen, but none of the behemoths who challenged and beat us to other targets, like Real Madrid with Jude Bellingham and Chelsea with Moises Caicedo, fought us for signature.

It’s fair to say that no supporter anywhere had any idea he’d be this good.

This dramatic headline isn’t based on last night’s thunderbolt in the League Cup, but on the fact he’s pretty much been the best player on the pitch every time he’s stepped on it. A pitch including the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and the only player who has arguably topped his performances, Mo Salah.

If a ten-year-old was asked to draw a perfect midfielder, it would look much like Hungary’s captain. He’s played 90 minutes in every Premier League game so far, proving Jurgen Klopp trusts him entirely but more importantly that his natural fitness is exceptional. He’s 6ft 2′ and can more handle himself physically. Against Wolves, he was clocked at 36.76 kph, making him the second fastest player in the competition’s history.

Technically, he oozes class and finesse. Szoboszlai can stroke the ball around like Thiago, but also absolutely leather it like John Arne Riise. He can dribble through central areas and play clever through-balls. The assist for the disallowed Curtis Jones goal v West Ham was chipped perfection. He’s so good on the ball, you’d forgive him for being a passenger off it, but he works harder than any player on the pitch; closing down, pressing, battling in the air, tracking runners and putting in tackles.

Stylistically, there are undeniable similarities with Steven Gerrard, and based on ability, we haven’t had a more rounded, talented midfielder since the legendary no.8 started out. That includes Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson. Szoboszlai has Alonso’s composure, Mascherano’s bite, Fab’s physicality, Wijnaldum’s ball-retention skills and Hendo’s leadership. He’s a Gerrard re-gen.

What’s crazier is that he’s only 22-years-old. He’s younger than up and coming players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez, who are all 23. The ceiling for what Szoboszlai could become is incredibly high, especially under Klopp, who is failing to hide his excitement about the player in every interview.

To think, we might not have bought Szoboszlai if Mason Mount pushed for a Liverpool transfer instead of a move to Manchester United. The Englishman cost the same money but there is nothing he does better on a football pitch than Szoboszlai.

In the summer, Liverpool’s players were astonished by how powerful and accurate Szoboszlai’s shooting was. So far, he’s scored two pile-drivers from outside the box and there will be plenty more this season. His shooting technique is perhaps only paralleled by Kevin de Bruyne.

It’s no wonder that Henderson pushed for a move to Saudi Arabia after realising he’d be fighting with Szoboszlai for minutes. The difference between the levels our former captain produced last season and Szoboszlai this is enormous.

Szoboszlai isn’t perfect. He’s so many skills and tricks in his armoury, sometimes he overcomplicates and tries something too difficult when a simpler option would be better. He’s also been guilty of being too far ahead of his team-mates who haven’t read or made a run for the pass he’s seen. This leads to him giving the ball away in the middle, which is more dangerous for us now he’s playing as a no.8 and not a no.10. But as mentioned before, he’s 22. He’ll improve on this.

Watching Szoboszlai gives you the feeling, ‘What’s the catch?’

How did we get someone this good, this perfect for Liverpool 2.0, for just £60m?

Missing out on Bellingham hurt, but at the moment, Szoboszlai is proving his equal. Long may his sublime form continue. The best signing of the summer in world football.