Dominik Szoboszlai has spoken after putting pen to paper on a new five-year contract at Liverpool
Dominic Szoboszlai of Liverpool signs new contract at Anfield on July 17 2026
Dominic Szoboszlai of Liverpool signs new contract at Anfield on July 17 2026(Image: Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Dominik Szoboszlai is not happy. But before Liverpool supporters start fretting over the possibility of yet more worry lines appearing following a fraught season, allow the midfielder to explain.
“There’s always more to come - I’m never happy,” he says. "No, I’m happy with myself but I think I can do even better.
"I think that’s why I’m sitting here, because that pushed me since I was a kid: that it was never enough. And I’m thinking the same now."
Szoboszlai was talking after putting pen to paper on a new, improved five-year contract that will extend his Anfield commitment to 2031.
The 25-year-old has developed into one of Liverpool's most influential squad members since arriving from RB Leipzig for £60million, and was by some distance their best player of a disappointing recent season that ultimately cost Arne Slot his job just 12 months after leading the Reds to a record-equalling 20th championship.
And for Szoboszlai, the task is clear. “I want to set the example," he says. "I want to be an example also for everyone, as much as I can.
“When I signed, I said I want to win everything. That didn’t change for a little moment either. It stayed the same: I want to win everything that is possible in this country, also let’s say the Champions League.
“I’m ready to go for it. This is like a big family and I want to be part of that."
Reflecting on his Anfield career to date, Szoboszlai points to how his time at Liverpool has impacted him on and off the pitch.
"It's crazy that three years has gone really quick," says the Hungary international. "I think I'm a completely different person and a completely different player.
"I have got better every year, outside of football I have become a father, a husband, so I've been through a lot of changes in the last three years.
"But I think my life is going in a good way, I'm happy about my family, about myself, about my club, about my football.
"You improve with time. I have more experience, I've played under two different coaches (at Liverpool) and now is a third one.
"I learned different stuff from everyone, and I needed that. I hope now I can put everything on the pitch every time."
Of working under new head coach Andoni Iraola, Szoboszlai adds: "He showed at Bournemouth that he is an unbelievable coach, always competed with us with the most fit team in the Premier League.
"With the intensity he wants to play and the knowledge he has, I'm looking forward to playing under him."
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The shadow of last season's huge disappointment, though, continues to loom large, with Liverpool scraping into the Champions League in fifth place on the final day and finishing a whopping 25 points behind champions Arsenal while losing 20 games in all competitions.
But despite a period of uncertainty exacerbated by a changing of the guard both in the dugout and on the pitch - experienced trio Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all departed on free transfers this summer - Szoboszlai is embracing the challenge to right the wrongs of last term.
"It shouldn't be a pressure, it should be a motivation that you don't want to do the same things, the same mistakes we made last season," says the midfielder, speaking to liverpoolfc.com. "That's the motivation we have to take.
"Everybody has to take responsibility, the older ones even more so the younger ones can follow. We have to become a team again, a family.
"Is there more responsibility on me now? I think so, yes, even though I am only 25. Mo left, Robbo our vice-captain left, both are club legends, we are going to miss them for sure. Now someone else has to step up and if it's me I'm ready to do it."
And after an at times fractious relationship last season between the team and the fanbase - epitomised by an exchange between Szoboszlai and the away end after the dismal FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City in April - the midfielder now has a clear message to supporters.
"Just keep pushing us because we know last season wasn't what they deserve," he says. "Keep us pushing forward and we will give you whatever you want."