Dominik Szoboszlai, a player for RB Leipzig, has been the subject of a transfer request from Jürgen Klopp. He would become yet another player to join Liverpool from a Red Bull team.
Over the course of his tenure as Liverpool’s sporting director, Michael Edwards established himself as a maestro of the transfer market. He oversaw hiring decisions at Anfield for a decade, however only half of that time was spent in the top position. He is currently unattached to any clubs after taking a well-earned hiatus from football.
To mention a few players that Edwards acquired: Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Fabinho, and Luis Dáz. He was a pro at identifying players who would succeed and develop on Merseyside and he also demonstrated a knack for selling.
During his tenure, he reused a number of tricks as he attempted to gain an edge in the transfer market. Targeting players who had just been relegated, for example, was a signature move of his, with Andy Robertson, Gini Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri all signed for reduced prices after suffering from the drop into the Championship from the Premier League.
Another of his favorite cheat codes involved chasing the best-performing players from within the Red Bull network. The energy drink company has RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg under its umbrella in the footballing world, with both sides expected to represent a similar brand of football on the pitch.
In order to complement the core values of Red Bull as a drink, Leipzig and Salzburg have to embrace a specific playing style. An emphasis is placed on speed, aggression, high pressing and fast attacks, with very little attention given to backward or lateral passes.
The players representing Red Bull clubs also have to share comparable qualities, as they are expected to execute the intense and demanding playing style in question. The players contracted to Leipzig and Salzburg are generally young, energetic, athletic, physical and proactive.
Upon inspection of the Red Bull identity, Jürgen Klopp comes to mind. Since his emergence as a top coach more than a decade ago, the German has favored similar perks on the field, with his players known for being rapid, industrious, direct and thrilling to watch from the perspective of a supporter in the stands.
Since his appointment at Anfield in 2015, Liverpool has upheld a similar style of play to that which has been enforced by Leipzig and Salzburg. The Reds have competed at a higher level by winning the Premier League and Champions League in recent times but the comparisons are obvious.
Edwards was keen to make use of the relationship while working by Klopp’s side. As a means of ensuring that new signings would be able to cope with the demands at Liverpool, Edwards developed a tendency for acquiring players who shined within the Red Bull network.
Edwards was keen to make use of the relationship while working by Klopp’s side. As a means of ensuring that new signings would be able to cope with the demands at Liverpool, Edwards developed a tendency for acquiring players who shined within the Red Bull network.
Sadio Mané was the first to arrive, having joined from Southampton in the summer window of 2016. The Senegalese forward had originally emerged as a promising attacker in Salzburg before moving to English shores, with Liverpool later managing to bring him to Merseyside.
Naby Keïta followed shortly after, who had flourished to such an extent in Austria that he was promoted in 2016, making the switch to a more competitive league by joining Leipzig in the German top flight. The captain of Guinea represented both European clubs under the Red Bull wing before Edwards signed him for Liverpool.
Further down the line, Takumi Minamino joined the Reds from Salzburg in the winter window of 2020, and 18 months later, Ibrahima Konaté followed him from Leipzig.
All of those players were almost a ‘cheat’ or at least a ‘shortcut’; a way of ensuring that their playing style would translate at Liverpool without too much of an adaptation period. Keïta might not have worked out, but it was not because of his ability.
Edwards knew exactly what he was doing by chasing the best Red Bull graduates as Liverpool’s sporting director, but he left his post last year. Without him, it remains to be seen whether the Reds will persist with such a transfer theme, but Dominik Szoboszlai would suggest that they will. The Hungarian midfielder is set to become Liverpool’s second summer signing after Alexis Mac Allister (as per the ECHO).
Like Keïta, Szoboszlai has spent virtually his whole career as a Red Bull player. He’s played for Leipzig for the past two seasons and before that, he represented Salzburg for three campaigns. Now aged 22, it seems he could be set to follow in the footsteps of those before him, with new sporting director Jörg Schmadtke set to use a ploy from Edwards’ playbook.
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