Jurgen Klopp highlights 'proper positives' in Dominik Szoboszlai
- Szoboszlai has joined Liverpool
- Reds triggered his €60m release clause
- Newcastle had been interested
By Tom Gott
Jurgen Klopp has admitted he is hugely excited to work with new Liverpool signing Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Reds triggered Szoboszlai's €70m release clause on Friday and wasted little time getting the deal wrapped up, finalising the Hungary international's arrival at Anfield just two days later.
Szoboszlai becomes Liverpool's third most expensive signing of all time, behind only Darwin Nunez and Virgil van Dijk, and Klopp is excited to get to work with such a high-profile talent.
"The first thing for me to say is welcome to Liverpool, Dominik," Klopp told club media. "I know how excited he is to be here with us, so it is important that he understands that we are all just as excited to have him.
"We already have a little knowledge of Dominik as an opponent because we had a couple of really tough games against Red Bull Salzburg when he was a player there and I think everyone who saw those fixtures will have realised that even at that stage he was a really interesting prospect.
"I'm pretty sure he was still a teenager at that time and since then he has made some big strides – moving to Leipzig, doing really, really well in the Bundesliga, playing for the Hungary national team and then becoming captain of his national team at an incredibly young age.
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"These are proper positives and this is even before we even think about his qualities as a footballer. I will not say too much about them at this stage except they are definitely the kind which will hopefully bring a lot of enjoyment and also help us to get results.
"There is no pressure, though. Dominik is still a very young player. He has so much development ahead of him and this means it makes sense for us all to be patient and to give him the time and space to allow his talent to come through within our team.
"The good thing is we have supporters who understand this process. I know the fans are as excited as we are but I am also aware, because I have seen it many times already, that they will be a massive help to us in terms of creating the conditions that will allow Dominik to thrive.
"From the clubs he has been at, the leagues he has played in and the family he is part of, it is very clear that he has already had an outstanding football education, so our responsibility now is to continue this education with him as part of the Liverpool family.
"Everything about this is good news and I am very grateful to everyone at the club who has contributed to making it happen. This is a signing for our present and also for our future and the work that has gone into it could not be more appreciated."
LISTEN NOW
On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss Mason Mount's impending move to Man Utd, Arsenal's various deals, Liverpool's pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai and more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!