Fantasy Football Potential – Xherdan Shaqiri

Liverpool have signed Stoke winger Xherdan Shaqiri for a minimal fee of £13.5 million after triggering his release clause. The Swiss international leaves Stoke after their relegation from the Premier League last season in which he scored and provided the most goals out of all of his team mates.

For Switzerland, Shaqiri has been an important player for years. He has scored a goal in every one of their last three major tournaments, the most recent coming in a 2-1 win over Serbia in Russia this summer. He has 21 international goals in 74 matches.

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com shortly after sealing his switch to Anfield, Shaqiri said:

“I’m very happy to be here. It’s a huge club with big history, big players and a fantastic coach. So I’m really glad and happy to be here.As a player you always want to be on the biggest stage in football. A few years ago I wanted to come too but it didn’t happen. I’m really happy that now I’m finally here.”

Fantasy Premier League Potential (7.5m)

Shaqiri was a brilliant option in FPL last season scoring 155 points but he could struggle to reach even a century of points this campaign. His big move to Liverpool means his wage will go up but his game time will go down. With Mo Salah and Sadio Mane the main men for the Reds, Shaqiri will find it difficult to displace either of them for a substantial amount of time.

He got eight goals and nine assists last season, which was more than his last two seasons combined, so he’s clearly a player on the up and improving. His price of £7.5m is fair for the season he has just had but because of the game time issue, he won’t be making it into many FPL squads.

Liverpool’s first five fixtures are as follows: West Ham (H), Crystal Palace (A), Brighton (H), Leicester (A) and Tottenham (A). It’s a reasonable start for Jurgen Klopp’s side and if Shaqiri could possibly find himself with a handy amount of minutes then he could do well.

Written by Harry Clark (@HarryClark67)