Southampton are still in the hunt for Xherdan Shaqiri’s signature as the Stoke City man continues to get linked with Premier League clubs. It was Mark Hughes who had arranged for the signing of Shaqiri at the bet365 Stadium, three seasons back. The move produced high rewards and the Saints boss wants to bring in Shaqiri to his new club.
Shaqiri is certainly the type of player to leave you confused and yet excited, every time you watch him play. A short 5 feet 6 inches figure, he packs a lot of skill and power with that cracking left foot of his.
The Swiss international had to overcome a lot of difficulties earlier in his career since his move away from the FC Basel camp. The winger was a hit at his home country but somehow fell off the rails with Bayern Munich, scoring his first goal for the Bundesliga outfit almost a year after his transfer.
His time at the Serie A did not bear any fruit either as Inter Milan declined to extend his contract for the remainder of the season. The Potters capitalized on the situation and quickly initiated a £12m transfer. The Premier League was a new challenge but Shaqiri took it upon himself to rise to the occasion.
He has scored 15 goals and assisted another 14 in his 92 appearances for Stoke. 8 of those goals came in the previous season despite Stoke City playing below average football.
Unfortunately, Paul Lambert could not stop them from getting relegated and City are now destined to play second-tier football next season. The financial constraint will be dire for the Staffordshire outfit as they might not be able to keep players of Shaqiri’s pedigree in their wage books.
The player himself is far too good for the second division and will be able to fetch the Potters a decent amount of cash should he move away. At 26 he is entering the peak of his playing career and is primed for one of the elite top-flight teams.
Southampton are short on wide options with both Nathan Redmond and Sofiane Boufal cursed with inconsistency.
Their strike force has not exactly been completely effective either. January signing, Guido Carrillo has scored just once since his arrival. Shaqiri will not only bring in a goal-scoring threat to the St Mary’s but he will also be able to create the attacks with his play-making abilities.
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Southampton will have to start making these ambitious moves in order to move on from their past season woes.
