Former Liverpool man Xherdan Shaqiri reveals that “the club wouldn’t let me go”

Shaqiri’s Liverpool stint

Xherdan Shaqiri joined Liverpool from Stoke in a 12 million pound deal, but failed to nail down a spot in Liverpool’s front three, and was largely limited to substitute appearances. Across 63 appearances, he racked up 2500 minutes, the equivalent of 39 minutes per appearance.

While he often came up with key goals, such as a brace against Manchester United, he was too often left on the sidelines.

L’Olympique Lyonnais est très heureux de confirmer le transfert du milieu de terrain international suisse de Liverpool, Xherdan Shaqiri ! 🔴🔵

Le communiqué 👉 https://t.co/curE0vkPP0#Shaqiri2024 pic.twitter.com/MfPZO3GfN3

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) August 23, 2021

As a result of limited playing time, Shaqiri ended up making the switch to Lyon this summer, and has already made 5 appearances for his new side in Ligue 1, registering a goal and an assist in the process.

Shaqiri opens up on decision to leave

Speaking to Swiss outlet Watson ahead of his nation’s fixtures against Northern Ireland and Lithuania, Shaqiri has since lifted the lid on his departure from Anfield, and it is safe to say that while he holds no grudges, he wanted to depart the club much sooner.

The forward said:

“I wanted to leave Liverpool sooner, But I wasn’t allowed to; the club wouldn’t let me go. The important thing for me is that I’m gone now. There were also offers from Spain and Italy.

“I was in contact with him (Klopp) by phone before that. When the time came, he texted me. He wished me luck in that and said that I was a good player and a good guy.

“We never had any problems with each other, and we had a very good relationship. But I just wanted a new challenge, that’s normal in football. Jürgen helped me in this regard.”

Moving on from discussing his time under Jurgen Klopp, Shaqiri then outlined his plans for his time with Lyon, revealing:

“I’m excited and very happy to be here. Peter Bosz loves possession (based) attacking football, he was one of the main reasons for me to come.”

“I want to succeed and take them to a new level

“With my experience and my level of game, I want to help this club regain its former glory. The objective is to win new trophies, put Lyon back where it was more than 10 years ago.

“It’s time to take this team back to where it belongs.”

Will Shaqiri be able to help a struggling Lyon side back to the top of Ligue 1?

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