The contrast could not be more stark between Dominik Szoboszlai’s dynamic start to life in Liverpool and his predecessor’s, Naby Keita, injury-plagued return to the Bundesliga.
The former RB Leipzig man arrived with much in the way of fanfare following a pre-agreed switch to Anfield, with many hopeful the Guinean could fill Steven Gerrard’s giant-sized boots on Merseyside, though now finds himself wrapped ‘in cotton wool’ at Werder Bremen amid fresh injury struggles, according to Bild (as relayed by the Liverpool Echo).
Though not quite a total failure – and there were certainly more than just flashes of brilliance under Jurgen Klopp – the move never quite met the lofty expectations of a fanbase desperate for a successor to our legendary former skipper.
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Whilst it would be far too soon to be labelling Szoboszlai ‘Steven Gerrard 2.0’ after a strong start to life in the famous red shirt, there’s no reason why supporters can’t revel in the excitement around this new signing.
A signing that will, with all due respect to our former No.8, excel by comparison to Keita if he can simply stay fit whilst maintaining his current performance levels.
You could forgive fans for sweating a little around the collar when the club announced another big-money signing for a Leipzig midfielder, especially given how injury-prone our signings from Die Roten Bullen have been (sorry, Ibou).
Szoboszlai, however, with only one game missed since the 2021/22 season – skipping a couple of serious injuries suffered in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns – is proving to be a reliable operator and has thus far justified Liverpool’s decision to invest big in another Red Bull midfielder at the expense of allowing our former investment’s contract to run its course.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️