Scouting Report: Dominik Szoboszlai, Analysing The Hungarian Playmaker

Among the plethora of central and attacking midfielders linked with Liverpool this summer, Dominik Szoboszlai joins that list. Although the reports say a deal would be complicated to get over the line, it is definitely not impossible.

Let’s not delve into transfer talks and instead take an in-depth look at the player linked with the Reds. The 22-year-old currently plies his trade for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, having joined them from the fellow Red Bull club Salzburg in January 2021.

The Hungary men’s national team captain started his career at Fonix FC before exchanging transfer moves with MTK youth side. He signed for Austrian club AKA Salzburg U18 in March 2017 before moving to FC Liefering in July 2017 and six months later joining Salzburg.

Szoboszlai is a versatile playmaker who can operate in various positions across the central and attacking midfield areas. He is pretty good off the ball as well, something that sets him apart from many ball-playing chance-creators in a football team.

Player Profile - D. Szoboszlai

As touched upon in the previous section, Szoboszlai is a player with a high versatility quotient. At Leipzig in the 2022/23 season, the 22-year-old was used as a right winger, attacking midfielder, right-sided midfielder and a support striker.

In his career so far, the Hungarian has started 59 games as a central midfielder, 37 as an attacking midfielder, 33 as a left-sided midfielder, 27 as a right winger, 26 as a left winger, 13 as a right-sided midfielder and once as a number nine.

That is some collection to have for a player who operates well wherever he is asked to play. His performances hardly dip when playing in different positions throughout the course of a season.

Let’s take a look at his heat-map for the league games in the 2022/23 season and see where all he likes to step foot in on a football field.

Although he started most games on the right-hand side of the midfield or attack, Szoboszlai is a type of player who prefers to roam around the field, especially in the final third, to find spaces in between the lines to hurt the opposition. He usually takes most direct and indirect set-pieces as well.