Liverpool should consider reinventing Dominik Szoboszlai for a season if they cannot sign an acceptable right-wing replacement for Mohamed Salah.
A tweet from my fellow Live4Liverpool colleague Henry Jackson got me thinking about how Steven Gerrard shone in a right wing/midfield role in 2005/06.
Writing on X, he said: “Liverpool HAVE to sign a right winger, that goes without saying. But…I do look at Szoboszlai and wonder if he could be great there at times, like Gerrard in 2005/06. Takes him out of the central area and hopefully helps add more balance (Lamine Camara, please).”
Liverpool HAVE to sign a right winger, that goes without saying.
But…I do look at Szoboszlai and wonder if he could be great there at times, like Gerrard in 2005/06.
Takes him out of the central area and hopefully helps add more balance (Lamine Camara, please).
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) August 26, 2026
Ever since he joined Liverpool, comparisons have been drawn between Gerrard and Szoboszlai and for good reason. The Hungarian midfielder is blessed with truly exceptional ball-striking technique, has the same mobility and forward drive that Gerrard did.
The main difference is that Szoboszlai is not nearly as complete, lacking the defensive traits that made Stevie G the total midfielder. Yet, the traits that saw Gerrard excel on the right wing are the traits that Szoboszlai shares most directly with the greatest player to wear the Liverpool No.8 now on his back.
In 2005/06, Gerrard played a third of his games on the right wing in a season that saw him score 23 goals and provide 15 assists. Those are Salah-level numbers for a central midfielder. Rarely, if ever, have we seen such an incredible performance from a player out of position.
Last season, Szoboszlai played a third of his games for Liverpool at right back, and he recorded his best season in terms of attacking contributions, scoring 13 and assisting 12. From a wide right role, Szoboszlai’s technique is put to use in much the same way as Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Hungarian also likes to take his time on the ball, which is not possible in the Premier League.
With many of Liverpool’s midfield issues stemming from Szoboszlai being ill-suited to a double pivot and the lack of a top addition on the right wing, it would be a worthy experiment to play him there.
Andoni Iraola would see an increase in the right-sided counter-pressing while making the Reds tighter in a low block with a player as industrious as Szoboszlai at right wing.