Perhaps the most bizarre potential transfer of the current window has surfaced of late… Stoke City closing in on the signature of Xherdan Shaqiri. Where did that come from? Even the prospect of Iker Casillas at Crystal Palace seems more realistic than the Switzerland international plying his trade at the Britannia Stadium!
Although the Potters appear to be leading the race after having a £12m offer accepted by Inter Milan, the idea of a shock swap deal involving Erik Lamela and Shaqiri - who only played his first game for the Nerazzurri earlier this year - has been floated by the Serie A giants, opening up the, albeit slim, possibility of the stocky winger at White Hart Lane next season. We at FFC Towers think Shaqiri would be a great addition for the London club, and here are FIVE reasons a deal – swap or direct transfer – makes sense for the Lilywhites…
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Quality from wide
Shaqiri may not be the most complete of wide men, but he would offer genuine quality from either flank for Pochettino. A stocky, squat wide attacker, the Switzerland international is a little unusual in the fact he’s extremely difficult to knock off the ball, while his explosive power allows him to fire stinging shots at goal from distance and burst past full-backs.
His end product is questionable – his highest goal tally for a league season at Bayern Munich was just six while he’s not managed over five assists in a league campaign with the Bavarians or Inter Milan. There are also question marks surrounding his development – his career has somewhat stagnated since his switch to the Allianz Arena – but at 23 he has bags of potential.
Another attacking option for Pochettino
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With Harry Kane unlikely to be granted the freedom of the final third he was, at times, allowed last season, Pochettino will need to evolve his side’s forward-thinking approach. Adding some more quality from the attacking midfield three behind the England international could be an option, with creative and direct players possessing the potential to boost the forward’s chances of success while also providing threats to worry opposition rearguards from deeper.
Proven quality
Although his development has stagnated a little, there’s not doubt that Shaqiri has quality. His World Cup showings last summer were particularly impressive, with a hat-trick against Honduras grabbing headlines as Switzerland reached the last 16 – where only a late, late goal from eventual finalists Argentina robbed the central Europeans of a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
His trophy haul is also impressive, with three Swiss Super Leagues, two German Bundesligas, two German cups and the Champions League, among others, populating Shaqiri’s honours list.
Cost-effective
With a £12m offer from Stoke accepted, his price is set. A matching bid from Spurs is likely to be met with the same response from Inter, and with the Lilywhites having not spent a great deal so far this summer, there’s clearly money in the bank for Shaqiri. With the Londoners having had their fingers burnt by big money additions in the past, a relatively cheap move for the 23-year-old could appeal to chairman Daniel Levy, who will surely see the potential for a profit in a few years’ time.
Shouldn’t be difficult to beat Stoke
No offence to Stoke, but Tottenham are a far more appealing prospect than the Potters. For a start, the Lilywhites will be in the Europa League – a factor that surely matters to an ambitious player – their chances of Champions League qualification are far greater, he would play alongside better players at (White Hart Lane (Christian Eriksen > Charlie Adam), while London is a far more attractive place for a wealthy young man to live than Stoke-on-Trent.