MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 27: Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Salzburg in action during the UEFA Champions League Group A stage match between Atletico de Madrid and RB Salzburg at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on October 27, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
According to reputed football journalist Fabrizio Romano (h/t Express), Arsenal have lined up Dominik Szoboszlai as an alternative to Houssem Aouar and replacement for Mesut Ozil. The club are likely to make a move for him in the near future.
Dominik Szoboszlai started his professional career at Liefering in the Austrian second-tier before enjoying a breakthrough at heavyweights Red Bull Salzburg during the 2018-19 season.
The 20-year-old bagged an astonishing 12 goals and 18 assists in 40 appearances for Salzburg in all competitions last season, winning the Player of the Season award in the Austrian Bundesliga while also impressing in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Szoboszlai has once again hit the ground running this term, registering 5 goals and 7 assists in 10 appearances (source – Transfermarkt). He represented Hungary across U-17, U-19, and U-21 levels before making his senior international debut in 2019. He has since accumulated 10 caps.
Arsenal’s chase of Houssem Aouar was one of the longest transfer sagas in the summer window (source – Mirror). But it did not come to fruition as the Gunners had to settle for Thomas Partey on deadline day. While Partey adds defensive structure to the side, there is still a case to be made for a creative midfielder.
Arsenal lack a natural playmaker or No.10 after Mesut Ozil was axed from the team. Dani Ceballos does provide the occasional cameo but he is not suited for that role. It is clear that the side needed someone like Houssem Aouar but in the event that a deal does not go through in the future as well, Arsenal should look at Dominik Szoboszlai as a viable alternative.
Hungarian international Szoboszlai has already racked up some crazy numbers in terms of goals and assists in Austria. His performances in the Champions League against Napoli and Liverpool last season clearly indicate that the teenager is ready to make the step up to a more competitive league.
Besides his creativity and eye for goal, Szoboszlai has also earned rave reviews for his versatility. The 19-year-old is capable of playing as a No.10 behind the striker, in a more withdrawn number 8 role as a box-to-box midfielder and also out wide on the left flank.
Dominik Szoboszlai might not be the finished article just yet but there have been clear signs to suggest that the Hungarian is a special talent with loads of potential. Aouar, of course, is a couple of years older and some way ahead of Szoboszlai in terms of development, but the Hungarian is very much a player in a similar mould.
