‘Not his biggest fan’ – Jamie Carragher questions Liverpool star’s role in Arne Slot’s side

Jamie Carragher has admitted he is not the biggest fan of Dominik Szoboszlai and wants to see a greater attacking output from the Liverpool midfielder. Szoboszlai was brought to Anfield in July 2023 in a £60million deal from RB Leipzig and immediately became a crucial cog in Jurgen Klopp’s side, making 45 appearances in all competitions in his maiden campaign. Following Arne Slot’s arrival, the Hungarian has maintained his role in the heart of the Reds’ midfield, often deployed in a more advanced role ahead of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

However, while the 24-year-old is blessed with great physical attributes, the Hungarian has registered just five goal contributions in his 21 league appearances so far this season. By contrast, fellow Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has registered six goal involvements in the league despite starting six fewer games and playing 534 fewer minutes. And reflecting on watching a recent performance from West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, Carragher admitted he would like to see Szobozlai develop his game to become more of a goal threat.

‘I was commentating on West Ham but I was just watching Paqueta thinking ‘oh my’ every time he brought the ball down on his chest or his shoulder,’ the former Liverpool centre-back said on The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet. ‘I was actually thinking would Liverpool sign him – I know (Manchester) City did try – but I look at his lack of athleticism in some ways and think would that stop a top team (from signing him) because of what he would do off the ball.

‘And I think of Liverpool because I’m not Szobozlai’s biggest fan but he’s got great athleticism. ‘He gets talked about as our No.10 and people say he’s great off the ball, but I’m thinking: ‘He’s the No.10, he’s scored three goals’. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. ‘And I know he does a great job for the team but Slot would probably still prefer Szobozlai than Paqueta.’.

Speaking earlier in the season, Slot also admitted that he would like to see the Hungarian midfielder up his output in front of goal. ‘I think something that we have to work on with him is that he’s also even more involved in scoring goals and creating chances for us,’ Slot said last September. ‘Last season he scored three [in the league] if I remember correctly and for an attacking midfielder at Liverpool his numbers need to go up.

‘But I’m really happy with the way he’s done until now and I’m 100 per cent sure that if he plays in a team with so much quality around him, with the quality he has he will in the end score more goals for us as well.’. Slot’s side are back in action on Thursday as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham. For more stories like this, check our sport page.