A two-time Premier League winner has backed Dominik Szoboszlai to be a success at Liverpool following his recent move to Anfield.
The 22-year-old has arrived on Merseyside following a £60m transfer from RB Leipzig (BBC Sport), and ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas is confident that the Hungarian will live up to that fee if he has the psychological attributes to succeed in England’s top flight.
The former France international told Nemzeti Sport: “Of course you’ll need time to settle in. In order to become a regular player, you have to give your maximum in every training session and match.
“As for technical skills: I was not afraid of Dominik Szoboszlai at all, because he has all the qualities to be successful and become one of the best in the world as a Liverpool player in the near future.
“What I’m curious about is the mental part. Will you be able to perform at your highest level at the end of each week? Because that’s what you need in the Premier League.”
Szoboszlai will wear the number eight at Liverpool, an iconic shirt worn with distinction by the legendary Steven Gerrard in the not too distant past, and Gallas hopes the 22-year-old can make that jersey his own during his time at Anfield.
The Frenchman said: “When we talk about jersey number eight and Liverpool, almost everyone thinks of Steven Gerrard. It should be known that the best midfielders in the Premier League wear this number. It won’t be easy, but he has to write his own story, and I wish him all the best for that.”
The Premier League presents its own unique challenges in terms of the pace and physicality of the game, along with the technical standards at its highest echelons, so it can be challenging for players who excel elsewhere in Europe to do the same in England.
However, we can only go by what they’ve shown in the past, and Szoboszlai certainly seems to have the necessary skill set to become a success at Liverpool.
The Hungarian has been widely praised for his exceptional work rate, a quality which’ll surely delight Jurgen Klopp, while he’s already proven capable of making an impact in the final third at Bundesliga and Champions League level.
As per Transfermarkt, he boasts 28 goal contributions in the German top flight and has scored in each of the last three seasons of Europe’s premier club competition.
As an overseas player who came to the Premier League and won it twice with Chelsea, Gallas is very well placed to judge whether a footballer has what it takes to succeed in the division.
Therefore, for him to proclaim that Szoboszlai could become ‘one of the best in the world’ at Liverpool is something that Kopite will surely lap up with excitement.
#Ep79 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Dominik Szoboszlai – a mix of De Bruyne/Gerrard/Zidane?🎙️