Dominik Szoboszlai tells good friend Erling Haaland that Liverpool will finish above Manchester City… with the pair former team-mates at RB Salzburg
- Szoboszlai has predicted Liverpool will finish above Haaland and Gvardiol’s City
- He continued to reveal that he has not yet had time to visit his former teammate
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Liverpool’s new £60million signing Dominik Szoboszlai doesn’t lack confidence – predicting his mates at Manchester City Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol will finish below him this season.
Szoboszlai, who has started well at Anfield, struck up a close friendship with Haaland at RB Salzburg and last season played with City’s £77million defender Gvardiol and Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku at Leipzig.
The busy schedule has so far prevented “Szobo” as he’s known in the Liverpool dressing-room from visiting his near-neighbour Haaland but he has a clear message when asked which of the group will finish highest in the Premier League.
‘Us’ says the Hungarian international without hesitation. ‘It’s not a joke, I am thinking it. I always think that way even if it is hard.
‘There are very good teams in the league but we are also. We have a very good coach and players. I am the type that wants to be first. I want to win everything because nobody is going to ask you how it feels to be second.
Dominik Szoboszlai believes that Liverpool will finish ahead of his former teammates from RB Leipzig
Szoboszlai played with Haaland at Red Bull Salzburg and Josko Gvardiol at RB Leipzig
The midfielder believes that Liverpool have what it takes to challenge at the top of the league
‘Clubs like City will believe they are going to win, and we are thinking the same.’
It’s rare for a young player to be so openly ambitious but Liverpool fans will love the swagger. After losing five midfielders in the window, and uncertainty over the future of Mo Salah, Szoboszlai has been a breath of fresh air.
The creative 22-year-old helped set up two goals against Bournemouth last weekend but faces an even tougher challenge at Champions League rivals Newcastle today.
Coached by his Dad, a former professional player, and then developed at what he calls the “Red Bull family” all the way to Champions League level, Szoboszlai was on holiday with friends in Croatia when Jurgen Klopp made his move.
‘My agent rang and said “OK, you have to stop enjoying and take care of yourself! You have to leave.’
In Salzburg and Leipzig, he learned to press – music to Klopp’s ears. It means he is capable of unlocking defences as a No10 but also has the work-rate to play deeper.
England players already know about him. Twice, Szoboszlai has appeared on the winning side for Hungary against the Three Lions, scoring the winning penalty in Budapest in last year’s Nations League.
There will be healthy rivalry with his former team-mates Gvardiol, Nkunku and Haaland now in England. ‘Of course they are my friends but for the 90 minutes we play against each other, they will not be,’ he says.
The Reds have started the season with a draw and a win against Chelsea and Bournemouth
‘Erling scored 52 goals last season. I knew he could do that because I’d seen his quality. He is probably going to continue like that, but I am looking out for myself and my team.
‘When I speak with Erling, it’s usually about everyday stuff, not football. We know each other’s families. He is two houses next to me but it’s going to take time to find a solution to see each other! We have training, we have away matches, and he has been to Greece (for the European Super Cup).
‘I won’t care when we compete that he’s a really good friend. He won’t care either. I am out to help myself and my team-mates. If I score a last-minute goal, I am even happier.’
Szoboszlai doesn’t lack confidence – predicting his mates at Manchester City Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol will finish below him this season
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Szoboszlai wears the red No8 made famous by Steven Gerrard. He even has a tattoo that reads “Talent is a blessing” – a quote credited to the legendary former Liverpool captain.
He is optimistic the revamped Liverpool midifield. ‘ I am new, Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) is new, Endo is new. But we understand each other really good even after a few training sessions,’ he says.
‘I’ve only been here six weeks and first of all I have to establish myself in the team, but of course I have to be a leader on the pitch when I am there.
‘The manager said when I signed that players had gone (Milner, Keita, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain) and that was even before Hendo (Jordan Henderson) and Fabinho also left.
‘We talked about his plan. He wanted me to join and work with me and it was the same on my side, to do everything for the club. The move came about really quickly, in two or three days.’
Liverpool will be glad to have Mac Allister available to line up with Szoboszlai. The Argentine was shown a red card in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth but it was overturned on appeal.
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