David James agrees with Steven Gerrard as two Liverpool exits leave big Andoni Iraola decision

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With Liverpool facing some more important exits over the next year, questions have already appeared about players who could replace the stars and their role in the locker room.Andoni Iraola will have to ponder his future captain options at Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images))Former goalkeeper David James believes that Dominik Szoboszlai is Liverpool captain material, ahead of a potential exit for some key leadership figures in the coming year for the Reds.It follows the Hungarian international signing a new long-term contract at Anfield, securing his future with the club until at least 2031 as part of the project that Andoni Iraola will build his team around.The deal is seemingly well-deserved, as the 25-year-old proved to be a standout performer during a difficult campaign last time out in the Premier League.Now, under the guidance of Iraola, Szoboszlai could move on another step as he nears the peak years of his career, stepping up and setting standards with both his performances and his leadership qualities around the group.That may become all the more important as time goes on, with the leaders of old set to make way for the new group who will guide Liverpool forward to a new era.This summer has already seen key players like Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson leave, while next summer could see the same for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, who are both into the final 12 months of their contract at Anfield.An exit for both leaves questions surrounding who could be the next captain, with former skipper Steven Gerrard tipping Szoboszlai to take the armband.He isn't the only previous player to do so, as David James is the latest to call for the midfield maestro to become the captain in the future.Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the former goalkeeper said: "Yeah, he [Szoboszlai] has definitely got the potential to be a future Liverpool captain.Dominik Szoboszlai has signed a new contract at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)“I mean, the Virgil van Dijk one is interesting because I was trying to do the maths in my head. I think with Ali [Alisson Becker] and Virgil, they are the only two over 30 at the moment, along with [Wataru] Endo.“But there's part of it where you think, if one of those leaves, does the other one leave?

Because then you become the very senior player in a changing room. But with regards to Dom, one of my favourite players, of course, many Liverpool fans will have him as their favourite player.“Iraola has only signed for a couple of years, and I know Pep [Guardiola] only used to sign a two-year deal and he ended up staying at City for ten years, didn't he?“So, there's a part of it where you think, if things go well with Liverpool over these next two years, Iraola might stay there longer and therefore someone like Dominik would be that mainstay throughout his tenure at Liverpool.“We saw some amazing things from Dom last season, and we also saw him playing in a position which wasn't suited to getting the best out of what he was capable of.

And with Iraola's system, it's high energy, but if he is playing in the right place, then you get the best out of that high energy rather than put him in a right-back position, which didn't necessarily suit that.“So yeah, I think, again, we will see in a fresh environment with hungry players, and time to recover over the summer. We could see some amazing things from Dom.”It's not clear whether that is a role Szoboszlai would be willing to take on, or whether it is one that would fit Iraola's own vision for the player moving forward.But the midfielder remains the most talismanic presence currently in the roster, while he also has experience captaining his nation in recent years.That may all depend on an exit for other players and plenty of moving parts, but it seems clear that Szoboszlai is valued by many as a leadership figure at Liverpool moving forward.