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There seems to be an abundance of transfer news nowadays and it’s hard to figure out which one is legit and which one’s not. Dominik Szoboszlai is one of those names football fans are finding hard to ignore. Boosted by the information of an active release clause, the speedy Hungarian seems to be linked with a host of European clubs.
From Manchester United (are they ever NOT linked with a player?) to Real Madrid and Arsenal, if Dominik decides to make a move in the winter transfer window, he’ll not run out of choices and might consider taking more time to choose the perfect club. OR, he could just get “promoted” from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig, which honestly is not a bad move at all. The German outlet is known to give chances to youth and with Nagelsmann in charge, there will be an assurance of enough game time.
Player Profile
Dominik Szoboszlai is an energetic, fast, technical box to box midfielder whose chief strength lies in his composure in and around the 18-yard box. At just 20 years of age, the Hungarian has notched up 15 goals and 15 assists for his club and country this season which is quite simply, pretty incredible.
Dominik has been playing a lot from the left midfield for the Austrian champions this season and his versatility can mean that he can adapt quicker than most if he decides to move to a new league.
According to rumors, the player has a release clause of just €25m which makes it easy for the clubs that are willing to sign him, with the transfer fee negotiations out of the equation.
Stats and Comparison
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and a host of other clubs have shown concrete interest in the player.
At this point, it’s pretty obvious that Arsenal is in for a creative midfielder and Szoboszlai makes a lot of sense. The Hungarian can drift inside from wide positions and dictate play or play in the midfield as a box to box player, something Arsenal is desperately lacking. It is going to be tough to finalize the deal as nobody is sure how many clubs are looking to sign him. Aouar is another player that Arsenal wanted along with Juventus. That didn’t go through but it won’t be surprising for the clubs to try for him again in the January transfer window.
In terms of shot and goal creating actions, Arsenal is way below par. This was pointed out by @chakra_gooner on Twitter.
We took a look at the shot-creating actions made by the same players and this was what it looked like.
With the dire situation in terms of creativity, Szoboszlai’s shot-creating actions could aid the attacking impetus of the team. Arsenal lost 3-0 to Aston Villa in their last Premier League game and their club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn’t have a single shot on target. The arrival of Thomas Partey has provided defensive stability and composure in the midfield but it still lacks the spark required to create goalscoring moments. With that in mind, we might see Arsenal going all in for the towering midfielder.
Admittedly, these players are playing in different leagues, with different teams, and under different managers but if we take a look at the low release clause, this looks like a low risk – high reward situation.
What could possibly go wrong?
There is a gulf in quality when the Austrian Bundesliga is compared with the likes of German Bundesliga and the English Premier League. Players from better leagues have made the jump and failed spectacularly. Szoboszlai could very well be another one on the list. With every Odegaard comes an Iver Fossum. For every Suarez, there are five Jozy Altidores. Perhaps it’s just a purple patch and the performance level will go down after a few weeks. We don’t know. There is also the fact that Szoboszlai’s form has seen an upturn ever since the lockdown got over. It’s a small sample size. These are the facts that should be in the minds of the manager before making the final decision.
Our Opinion
From the player’s perspective, it would be wise to join a club that believes in young players getting chances in the first team, thus Arsenal and RB Leipzig could prove to be the two best options. Arsenal is desperate and RBL would be happy to have another highly-rated prospect at their disposal. We have seen Haaland make the jump and make an instant impact and is now pretty close to making the bigger jump and join the elites at Real Madrid. The tall and pacey Hungarian has the chance to follow suit and we cannot wait to track his development!
By Sudip Sadhukhan
