Should Leicester City bid for Liverpool’s out of favour Xherdan Shaqiri?
By Matt Taylor
With Jurgen Klopp reportedly looking to ship out fringe players this summer, could Xherdan Shaqiri be the answer to Leicester City’s winger problem?
The Daily Mirror reported that Liverpool were looking to sell the 27-year-old, just one year after the Reds snapped him up for a bargain price of £13 million from relegated Stoke City.
It has been a mixed first season for the Swiss midfielder at Anfield, recording a respectable tally of six goals and three assists in 24 appearances, primarily from the bench. If Leicester can offer him a consistent space in their starting XI, could Shaqiri be the marquee winger that City have sought since the departure of Riyad Mahrez?
In terms of international pedigree, he ticks a lot of boxes. Since making his debut back in 2010 against Uruguay, Shaqiri has picked up 79 international caps with 22 goals, five of which coming at major international competitions for Switzerland.
However, if City are looking for a winger with a proven record of prolific goal-scoring in the Premier League, Shaqiri may not be the perfect signing. In three full seasons at Stoke, he only managed 15 goals in 84 games.
This does not necessarily mean that the ex-Basel man would not bring quality to City’s wide options. Occasionally, Shaqiri has caught the eye in Liverpool red, but these instances have been sparing.
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Most notably this season, Shaqiri stepped up to perform well in Liverpool’s extraordinary second leg comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semi final. His impressive showing was encapsulated by a pinpoint cross finding Georginio Wijanaldum, who headed home to equalise the tie.
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Overall, at the right price, Shaqiri could prove to be a useful signing for City this summer, but there are certainly better options on the market to consider.