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The Alpine Messi is on his way to Melwood Park to complete his medical. And while some Liverpool fans remain skeptical of this move, in many ways it makes a lot of sense for Jurgen Klopp's team.
Championship football did not seem attractive enough for Shaqiri, and with Stoke's relegation from the Premier League confirmed, he made it quite clear that he wanted a move away from the club.
In his interviews before the World Cup, he made his aspirations for his future absolutely clear. When questioned about it, he responded by saying:
"At the moment, I can't say anything. You are going to hear soon on my future.
"Of course, I would like to play on the biggest stage in football. Everybody knows that. I hope I can stay in the Premier League. I hope so, you never know with football. I don't rule out anything."
Liverpool was always touted to be the front-runners to secure his signature for next season. However, there were also strong rumors that the Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho was also really interested in him.
Shaqiri's impressive performances in the World Cup only heightened the buzz surrounding his future. In 4 appearances, he managed to score 1 goal and assisted another 1. The goal he scored was no ordinary one but a trademark Shaqiri goal. Arguably, he was one of the better Swizz players at this year's World Cup.
It's easy to forget that he was part of the treble winning Bayern Munich team of 2012-13. Back then, he was just 21 years old.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time that Shaqiri has been linked with a move to Liverpool. In 2015, Shaqiri was strongly linked with a move away from Bayern Munich. Even then, Liverpool was interested in signing him but much to their dismay the move didn't materialize and he ended up signing for Inter Milan.
Just 26 years old, Shaqiri is yet to hit his footballing prime. It looks like Liverpool have timed this signing of theirs to perfection.
Let's look at the 3 main reasons why this is such a great signing for Liverpool FC.
#1 Adds depth to the squad
Shaqiri's signing adds much-needed depth to the squad. Despite all their attacking talent, Liverpool have very few natural wingers in their ranks.
Shaqiri is an out-and-out winger who's extremely comfortable playing out wide. He has all the traits to make him successful in this position. His crosses are exemplary and he has an eye for making those crucial through balls.
By no means is he shy, and when given a sight of goal he can let it rip from well outside the box.
Last season, Liverpool's front three combined for a total of 91 goals. Impressive as that statistic is, it's not enough. A team that's vying to compete for the Premier League and Champions League titles next season cannot depend upon just 3 players to get them goals.
Last year, Mane's injury caused serious problems for Jurgen Klopp upfront. Nobody was able to take over from him and the goals suddenly dried up.
Such cannot happen again this year, and that's precisely why Shaqiri makes for a valuable addition to the squad. An added bonus is his versatility. With practically no weak foot, he can comfortably slot into any of the front-three positions.
#2 Impactful player with goals and assists to his game
Liverpool doesn't just need squad players, they need squad players who can actually fill in first-team positions.
Shaqiri is exactly that kind of player. Last year, he was Stoke City's player of the season and was directly involved in 42 percent of all of Stoke City's goals.
In 35 appearances, he managed to score 8 goals and assist 7 more in a team that only scored 35 goals in the entire season.
He is an impactful player that always seems to make a difference when on the pitch. He's that kind of player who's given the ball when the rest of the team looks for inspiration.
Plus point for Klopp is that not only does he bring in goals and assists to the team, he also brings in great experience, which is something that the team lacked last year around.
#3 An absolute bargain
Stoke City's relegation activated a £13.5 million release clause in Shaqiri's contract. In a hyper-inflated transfer market, £13.5 million is an absolute bargain.
It's primarily because of this price tag that even Jose Mourinho was interested in signing him. In today's transfer market scenario, it's impossible to sign a world class player for less than £15 million.
By signing Shaqiri for only £13.5 million, Klopp has left his options open. His transfer war chest is still relatively full and he can choose to deploy it efficiently to fill in other crucial positions, if he wishes to do so.
If Shaqiri matches the standards of performances that he has set for himself over the past few years, he is definitely going to be a contender for the bargain signing of the season.
