The right profile
Shaqiri ticks all the right boxes as far as club owners FSG are concerned- he’s young, talented and has good resale value. Most of Liverpool’s transfers in the past couple of seasons have been directed by this philosophy, with Kolo Toure being the only exception to the rule. Shaqiri’s career seems to have stagnated at the Allianz Arena owing to mixture of injuries and the outstanding form of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, and he has struggled to feature as often as he would have liked.
Manager Brendan Rodgers’ requirements are simple- he wants a player with good technical ability, an excellent work rate, positive attitude and can make an immediate impact for the team, and Shaqiri seems like the perfect fit. Shaqiri’s movement is one of his biggest strengths- he moves laterally looking for possession rather than in straight lines- and is a player who is very difficult to pin down. He has the willingness to run at players with the ball at his feet, can go both outside as well as inside the full-back and can operate in tiny pockets of space.
Bayern would be reluctant to let him leave, and so a loan deal seems the likely option, but Liverpool would be wise to insert a clause for a permanent transfer in the summer.
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