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Dominik Szoboszlai## Liverpool has rewarded Dominik Szoboszlai for his performances last season with a new long-term contract at Anfield, but the Reds shouldn't stop doing him favors there
04:00, 18 Jul 2026
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 09: (SUN OUT, SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool enters the pitch prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on May 09, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai has signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
It’s been a quiet summer so far for Liverpool. As things stand, just two new faces will be added to last season’s squad which well and truly failed to live up to expectations.
Expecting Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet to turn things around for the Reds would be far too much pressure to put on two young players, and Andoni Iraola is under no illusions that his side needs more fresh blood.
The new Liverpool boss will know that better than most. After all, he was perilously close to denying the Reds a spot in next season’s Champions League with Bournemouth, and as proud as that would have made him, it would have been an embarrassing situation for his new club to find itself in.
That Liverpool managed to cling on to fifth is in no small part thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai. It was said at so many points during last season, but you dread to think where the Reds might have finished had it not been for the Hungarian.
Szoboszlai was by far and away Liverpool’s best player last season, and practically the only positive to take from a dismal campaign. He deserved a lot better, having come up clutch with goals against Leeds, Bournemouth and Manchester City to seemingly rescue points for his side, only for them to be thrown away almost immediately.
When you look at the table and see that Liverpool ended up just three points clear of Bournemouth, his free-kicks against Arsenal and Tottenham at home take on even greater significance, but then anyone who watched the Reds can tell you it wasn’t just his set-pieces that set him apart from the rest of his teammates.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool celebrates their 3rd goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Liverpool FC and Galatasaray SK at Anfield on March 18, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai was undoubtedly Liverpool's best player last season(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
It’s only right then that he's been rewarded with a new long-term contract. Had Liverpool let his deal run down with just two years remaining, there would have been some justifiable anger from fans.
But now that he’s been rewarded for his performances last season, and effectively saving the Reds from utter humiliation, the club shouldn’t stop there with favors.
The obvious place to start is making him vice-captain now that Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah have departed. He has the backing of Steven Gerrard, and when you’re already getting compared to the club’s greatest ever player, then you need to be lined up as Virgil van Dijk’s heir apparent.
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Secondly, a new right-back needs to be signed. As well as Szoboszlai did when filling in there last season, Liverpool is not getting the best out of one of its most influential players by relying on him to plug gaps across the squad.
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And that leads us on to the third and final favor - sign a new right winger. We saw Szoboszlai filling in there when Salah was dropped toward the end of last year, and with still no replacement for the Egyptian having been found, his good friend will no doubt be in the running to do that job again.
Although he’s willing, Liverpool should not be putting him in that situation, or at least not as regularly as he was under Arne Slot last season. The Reds have secured their next Gerrard for the next five years, and they have to make sure they get the best out of him in that time.
James Findlater
James Findlater
James Findlater is a Content Editor for Liverpool.com, bringing nearly a decade of experience to his coverage of Liverpool FC and the wider football landscape. James started his professional journey in January 2015 and has established himself as a versatile sports journalist. Before his current role, James served as a Sport Content Editor at the Liverpool ECHO and worked as a Trends and Football Writer for both the Manchester Evening News and Grimsby Live. During his time at Grimsby Live, James was a dedicated reporter for Grimsby Town FC, providing detailed match analysis and club news. His commitment to excellence in regional journalism was recognised in 2021 with a nomination for a Regional Press Award.
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