Bargain Szoboszlai has a HIGHER ceiling than Mason Mount

Sam McGuire

• 5 Jul 2023 17:00 BST
• 4 min read

Dominik Szoboszlai’s move to Liverpool caught everyone off guard.

Following the signing of Alexis Mac Allister, the Reds had been linked with a host of midfielders. Khephren Thuram appeared to be the top target for the Merseyside club but his involvement in the Under-21 European Championship delayed any potential move. Manu Kone was rumoured to be on the club’s shortlist too along with Romeo Lavia and Ryan Gravenberch.

Mason Mount was named as a priority after Liverpool decided to end their pursuit of Jude Bellingham. Reports had suggested the Reds had put in a lot of groundwork with the Chelsea midfielder and if he was to depart Stamford Bridge this summer, Anfield would be his most likely destination.

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However, Liverpool’s reluctance to meet Chelsea’s demands coupled with Manchester United’s willingness to offer more money to the Blues and to the player forced the Merseyside club to pivot away from the England international.

Mount had been earmarked to succeed Jordan Henderson as the right-sided midfielder in Jurgen Klopp’s system. By all accounts, Thuram was next in line, despite playing and impressing on the opposite side of the pitch for Nice.

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Then, out of nowhere, Liverpool made their move for Szoboszlai. Rumoured to be a target for Newcastle United after the Magpies missed out on James Maddison, the offer of Champions League football wasn’t enough to lure the Hungary captain to St James’ Park amid interest from the Reds.

David Ornstein claimed a deal would be complicated but the six times champions of Europe acted swiftly to pay Szoboszlai’s release clause before it expired and the 22-year-old was named as Liverpool’s new No8.

Mount completed his move to Old Trafford on Wednesday. Both players moved for a similar fee - in the region of €70 million - and both are expected to play big roles for their respective teams next term.

But how do the two players compare?

Money, of course, plays a part in this. According to reports, Mount is expected to pocket €292,000-per-week with the Red Devils while Szoboszlai has signed a deal worth €145,000-per-week. So while their transfer fees may have been identical, Mount is going to cost Manchester United €38.2m more over his five-year deal, as things stand. It all adds up and all of these factors need to be included when these deals are being judged in six to 12 months time.

Next up, output.

Mount has been part of the Chelsea first-team for four seasons and he’s been a key player for multiple managers. In fact, including England appearances, the 24-year-old has racked up 13,500 minutes when you factor in international football, European football and Premier League.

This averages out at 3,400 minutes per season, the equivalent of 38 90-minute matches. There’s a lot of running in those legs, despite being fairly young in the grand scheme of things.

During his time with the Blues, the versatile 5ft 9in midfielder has averaged 13.5 goal involvements per season across the Premier League and Champions League. He was fairly consistent across 2019/20 and 2020/21 before his output spiked in 2021/22 when he registered 24 goal involvements. He then dropped off last season, chipping in with just three goals and three assists. The extremes of his last two campaigns make it difficult to decipher where his baseline is. Being used in multiple roles doesn’t help either.

By comparison, Szoboszlai has just two seasons of first-team football in one of Europe’s top five leagues. His sample size is much smaller - just 5,780 minutes. He’s averaged 2,890 minutes per season since the move to RB Leipzig if international football is also included. This is the equivalent of 32 90-minute matches. It might not seem like that much of a difference but it will eventually have an impact on the players. The 22-year-old will be much fresher.

Szoboszlai has averaged 16.5 goal involvements across the Bundesliga and Europe since the switch to the Red Bull Arena. The 6ft 1in attacker will need to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League but his ceiling appears to be higher than Mount’s. If he lives up to the potential, he could well prove to be a bargain buy for the Reds.