TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent has been full of praise for Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai following his arrival at Anfield.
Bent is a self-professed Arsenal supporter but he freely admits that Szoboszlai has been a much better signing than Kai Havertz, who the Gunners bought from Chelsea for £65m in the summer:
“I like Szoboszlai. I think he has got that panache about him. A bit of X-factor. I like watching him play. Gets on the ball. Makes things happen.”
“I think he has been a good signing… I can tell you now that Szoboszlai has been better than Havertz.”
Szoboszlai has shone since moving to Liverpool
The Reds decided to take the plunge and pay the Hungarian’s £60m release clause back at the end of June. At the time, it seemed a sizeable fee to pay for a player who still had a lot to prove.
So far, though, it seems as if Jurgen Klopp’ side have made the right decision. Szoboszlai has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, with his physicality and athleticism re-energising the team’s midfield.
The midfielder does need to improve his end-product
The only minor criticism you would have of Szoboszlai is his stats don’t really stack up. So far, the 22-year-old has scored 2 goals and provided 0 assists in 11 appearances. That is only one more goal involvement than Havertz, who has been heavily criticised for his start at Arsenal.
One of the big differences between Szoboszlai and Havertz is his presence on the ball. In contrast to Havertz, who has struggled to make an impact as a No.8, Szoboszlai relishes his role, making lung-bursting runs forward and unleashing ferocious long-range shots.
As Bent says, he makes things happen, and you’d expect that it is only a matter of time before the goals and assists follow.
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