Former Reds player Xherdan Shaqiri opens up about leaving Liverpool and rapport with Jurgen Klopp
In conversation with Swiss outlet Watson (h/t Mirror), 29-year-old attacker Xherdan Shaqiri spoke about wanting to leave Liverpool this summer and his relationship with Jurgen Klopp.
The Switzerland international was signed by Liverpool from Stoke in 2018 for £13m. He enjoyed a good start to his life with the Merseyside team and also played a key role in some important matches from the Reds. In the last couple of seasons, the former Bayern Munich player saw a significant reduction in his role at Anfield.
Shaqiri has apparently asked to leave the club much sooner but the permission was only granted when he made the £5.4million move to Lyon in the last transfer window. There was also interest from clubs in Italy and Spain but the ex-Stoke City player chose the French club.
The 29-year-old attacker scored 8 goals and provided 9 assists in 63 matches across all competitions for the Reds. One of his most memorable matches in a Liverpool was probably the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona when he put in a spirited performance as the PL club were forced to play without their main forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
The Reds managed to win that match, the second leg of CL semi-final, with a scoreline of 4-0 and ultimately landed up winning the Champions League that year. The Swiss international has provided great backup from time to time despite having to endure a few injury issues in his time.
He shared his thoughts on the relationship with Klopp and his time at the club towards the end of his time at Merseyside:
“I wanted to leave Liverpool sooner. But I wasn’t allowed to; the club wouldn’t let me go. The important thing for me is that I’m gone now….. I was in contact with him [Klopp] by phone before that. When the time came, he texted me. He wished me luck in that and said that I was a good player and a good guy. We never had any problems with each other, and we had a very good relationship.”
The Merseyside team have been linked to several forwards like Dusan Vlahovic and Marco Asensio. The Reds would be looking to add some strength in their attacking department in the coming transfer window so that they can compete for silverware this season.
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Shaqiri’s time at the club may have been shadowed by some of the other star players. He shared a cordial relationship with the manager and is now on the path to discovering a new challenge with Lyon.
