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‘Thought about it’: £80k-a-week Liverpool ace considered leaving in summer, chose to stay put
Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri has admitted he considered leaving Anfield in the summer, but ultimately decided to stay with the Reds, as quoted by the .
The 29-year-old has made 42 competitive appearances for Liverpool since his move to Anfield two years ago, but has only played once this season – against Lincoln in the League Cup.
Last term, meanwhile, Shaqiri made just 10 appearances in all competitions last season, featuring for just 228 minutes, and his three starts came during the busy December period.
The reported earlier in September that Liverpool were open to offers for Shaqiri, though they weren’t actively looking to move him on.
With the transfer window now shut, the Switzerland international is eager to keep performing well and continue giving Jurgen Klopp a selection headache.
“Sure, in football there is always speculation and the players think about their situations,” Shaqiri on Tuesday, ahead of Switzerland’s 3-3 draw with Germany.
“That is completely normal. And of course, I have also thought about it, that is completely normal. But in the end I decided to stay there. The transfer window is now closed.
“Now I will go back to training with the team after these international matches and try to continue to perform well, which I have already proven a few times, also at Liverpool. And that is my goal.”
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Shaqiri is a top player who stood out against Germany on Tuesday night, and quite a few Liverpool fans have called for the £ ace to feature in recent months.
That said, he does have tough competition in attack, with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane first choice and Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi also vying for minutes.
Credit to Shaqiri for opting to stay put and keep doing all he can to impress Klopp, and even if he doesn’t get much game time, he’s got a place in the Reds fans’ hearts for his talent and attitude.