Paul Merson concerned about Liverpool’s £60m signing, dreading coverage of their games

Paul Merson, the former Arsenal midfielder turned pundit, is filled with trepidation at the prospect of covering Liverpool games in the upcoming season due to the club’s recent midfield acquisition.

The Hungarian midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, secured a £60 million move to Anfield from RB Leipzig, signing a five-year contract last Sunday. However, the mere thought of attempting to pronounce Szoboszlai’s name on live television has Merson breaking out in a sweat.

In response to a tweet about Szoboszlai, Merson shared a GIF of Jordan Peele sweating and quipped, “Me doing Liverpool games next season.”

Merson has gained notoriety for his comical mispronunciations of player names during his appearances on Soccer Saturday. In February, his attempts at discussing Chelsea’s new signings left his fellow pundits in fits of laughter. Not only did Merson struggle with Noni Madueke’s name, but he completely avoided attempting to pronounce Mykhailo Mudryk’s.

Instead, Merson referred to the former Shakhtar forward as “the lad that comes in on the wing,” followed by an apology for his inability to pronounce the name.

With Szoboszlai set to don the number eight shirt at Liverpool, succeeding his idol Steven Gerrard, Merson is undoubtedly practicing his pronunciation to avoid a similar on-air blunder when covering the Reds next season.

Liverpool triumphed over competition, including Newcastle, to secure Szoboszlai’s services by triggering his release clause in June. Newcastle, originally interested in the Hungarian midfielder, turned their attention to Italian international Sandro Tonali, who recently joined the Magpies from AC Milan.