If Liverpool escape from the City Ground with three points for their Premier League tally this weekend, Arne Slot will have taken a big step toward convincing the Reds faithful that his side are leaning toward a comeback.
The truth is that Liverpool’s problems are deeper, and the solution is more complex than just one result, but fans and board and coaching staff are uniform in their understanding that the Anfield side cannot afford to miss out on Champions League qualification.
If the struggling champions are to prevail, they will need to be “close to perfection“, as Slot admitted last week.
With Dominik Szoboszlai playing like he is, that might just be achieveable, though keeping onto the Hungarian superstar for the long run is another matter.
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Claims that the 24-year-old has entered Steven Gerrard territory might be a touch misguided, but there’s no question that his performances and the circumstances around his rise marks a certain similarity.
However, Europe’s elite certainly see Szoboszlai as someone who can become a talisman for them, with Real Madrid registering their interest recently as FSG look to tie him down to a new deal.
Liverpool would despair at that prospect, but if they do end up losing another superstar to Los Blancos, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has been identified as the replacement replacement.
According to TEAMtalk earlier this month, Liverpool are in talks with representatives over a deal for the England international, looking ahead to the summer transfer window.
The Reds expect stiff competitions from divisional rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, with Unai Emery and his staff pricing the 23-year-old at around £87m.
What Morgan Rogers would bring to Liverpool
Rogers has only gone from strength to strength since leaving Middlesbrough in the Championship and signing for Aston Villa in January 2023. He has developed into one of the star players in his country.
Last year, the powerful and athletic forward scored 14 goals and supplied 16 assists across all competitions; this year, he’s posted 17 goal involvements from 37 matches, crucial in Unai Emery’s pursuit of silverware.
Given that he’s still young, Rogers could prove to be the best Liverpool signing since Szoboszlai made the move from RB Leipzig for £60m in 2023, providing Slot with a world-class number ten for many years to come.
|
25/26 PL stats – Rogers vs Szoboszlai |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
|
|
|
Matches (starts) |
26 (26) |
24 (24) |
|
Goals + Assists |
8 + 5 |
4 + 2 |
|
Touches* |
48.2 |
84.1 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
2.2 (0.9) |
2.0 (0.7) |
|
Accurate passes* |
21.0 (75%) |
53.8 (88%) |
|
Big chances created |
10 |
5 |
|
Key passes* |
1.3 |
1.8 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.1 |
0.9 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
3.5 |
5.1 |
|
Tackles* |
1.1 |
1.5 |
|
Duels won* |
4.3 |
3.6 |
It’s not as if Szoboszlai has significantly outperformed his positional rival in the Premier League this season, and while the Hungary star’s level cannot be so easily defined by statistics, there’s no question that Rogers has the energy and intensity to smash expectations, should he move to Anfield in 2026.
Given that Rogers differs, in terms of profile, to other playmakers like Florian Wirtz and Curtis Jones, there’s every chance that he would form on-field relationships with them, his pace and power as a left winger also seeing him challenge Cody Gakpo for a starting berth down the channel.
Rogers has been in fine form for title-chasing Villa this season, and there’s a sense that he’s only going to get better over the coming years.
While losing Szoboszlai would be a bitter blow for the Merseysiders, signing the Three Lions superstar would be a fantastic way to ease the pain.
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