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Important Liverpool man thought summer signing was 'too expensive'

Originally posted on Caught Offside | By Darren Looney | Last updated 2/28/24

Liverpool underwent a complete overhaul of their midfield last summer and one of the stars they signed was thought to be “too expensive” by then Sporting Director, Jorg Schmadtke.

The German is no longer part of the Merseyside club having left at the end of the January transfer window as he was just employed to oversee the last two transfer windows.

Liverpool were busy in the first of those as Jurgen Klopp’s squad underwent an overhaul in midfield. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all came through the door, while key figures such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner went the other way.

Speaking about Hungarian talent, who was signed from RB Leipzig for €70, Schmadtke thought the player was “too expensive” at first.

“At Liverpool, we brought Dominik Szoboszlai for €70m from RB Leipzig and at the time I said it’s too expensive,” Schmadtke said about the midfielder via Fabrizio Romano.

“From today’s perspective, that was a misjudgment on my part. The boy was an important player from day one.”

Although there have been periods of inconsistency, Szoboszlai has overall been a big success at Anfield. The Hungarian star settled into Jurgen Klopp’s team from the beginning and made a fast start to life on Merseyside.

The midfielder has played 28 matches for the Reds so far, scoring five goals and assisting a further four, and is an undisputed starter for Jurgen Klopp when everyone is fit.

€70m may be too much for the player at present but being only 23, Szoboszlai can grow into that price tag. The Hungary international has a big future at Anfield and will look have a long successful career at the Premier League giants.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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