Southampton manager, Mark Hughes wants to reunite with Xherdan Shaqiri following a relegation escape in May. Hughes brought the 26-year-old to the bet365 Stadium in the summer of 2015 and have been rewarded handsomely for the decision.
Shaqiri is a top-pedigree player who is capable of producing magic with the ball on his feet. A short 5 feet 6 inches figure packs a lot of skill and power which is hard to stop for opposition defenders.
The Swiss international faced numerous difficulties earlier in his career after showing a lot of promise while at FC Basel. He, unfortunately, failed to make his mark with Bayern Munich, scoring his first goal for the Bundesliga outfit almost a year after his transfer.
His time at the Serie A was also unimpressive and the Potters signed him six months later for £12m. The Premier League was a new challenge but Shaqiri took it upon himself to rise to the occasion.
He has scored 14 goals and assisted another 14 in his 85 appearances for Stoke. 7 of those goals came this season alone and has been one of City’s only hope for Premier League survival.
However, Southampton are on a similar boat as the Potters, just a point above the latter in the 18th spot of the points table. Mauricio Pellegrino’s ineffective tactical abilities saw the Saints freefall towards the bottom pits, struggling to put a winning run together.
Swansea City, Crystal Palace, West Ham United were in the danger zone as well but have resurfaced in recent times. The second half of the table is still tightly divided and it will take a lot of grit and determination to will these sides out of safety.
If Stoke do make the drop to the Championship, it will hard for them to hold onto a marquee player. Shaqiri is far too good for the second division and will be able to fetch the Potters a decent amount of cash.
He is just 26 and is entering the peak of his playing career. If healthy, he can make a lot of noise for any Premier League team. Southampton are short on wide options with both Nathan Redmond and Sofiane Boufal cursed with inconsistency.
Their strike force has not exactly been hitting out on all cylinders either. January signing, Guido Carrillo has scored just once since his arrival and the rest are looking for a probable club exit.
It would a brilliant acquisition for the Saints but will only be sanctioned if they manage to stay in the top division. With just 8 games left in the regular season, anything can happen.
