Liverpool were once linked with a move for Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri but even after negotiating a deal with the attacking player, his former club Bayern Munich blocked the move. Shaqiri had just had a wonderful 2014 World Cup and Brendan Rodgers was in the prime seat to bring the former Basel man to Anfield but then Bayern came along.
Shaqiri was quoted by spox.com and stated that he wanted to move to the Reds after his playing time greatly reduced under new manager, Pep Guardiola at the Bundesliga club.
“That was my wish. I had offers from Liverpool and Atletico Madrid,” Shaqiri stated. “I opted for Liverpool. [Then-manager] Brendan Rodgers contacted me a few times during the World Cup. But Bayern blocked my move.
“There were several talks and it got loud a few times. Those responsible at Bayern believed my situation would change, it didn’t, and we were right.”
No real impact under the Spanish manager
While Shaqiri expected to star under the former Barcelona manager, things did not work out too well for him and he moved to Inter Milan just six months after the World Cup. But the Stoke City star also added that the Serie A club is run rather poorly.
“To be honest, Inter’s infrastructure is a disgrace. That such a renowned club can’t find a way to invest into the infrastructure is just disappointing,” Shaqiri said. “It’s just more professional in England in terms of diet, regeneration, performance analysis and diverse training sessions.”
Inter didn’t really set the world alight that season and Shaqiri was sold in the following summer to Stoke City. While there were many big clubs looking to sign the Swiss star in 2014, he ended up signing for the Potters but added that he had no regrets regarding the move.
“I don’t care about that. Only people not looking at the bigger picture say that,” he said. “I wanted to take a step away from the spotlight. Stoke and Mark Hughes already wanted me when I joined Inter. I had the feeling it would be the best fit. Hughes is a gentleman like Heynckes, who can make an unpleasant decision if needed.”
Looking back, Liverpool could have done with the quality of Xherdan Shaqiri following that incredible season where they just missed out on the Premier League title. Shaqiri, for his part, hasn’t really turned out to be the greatest import to the Premier League and has struggled to put up consistent displays for Stoke.
Maybe that move to Liverpool not taking place was a good thing after all.
