da spicy bet： Initially when Stoke were linked with a move for Xherdan Shaqiri many eyebrows were raised. And it looked as if the deal was off not so long ago after Stoke boss Mark Hughes had pretty much given up on signing the Switzerland international as he stalled on a move to the Potteries. Order restored, it seemed
da imperador bet： However, despite this the former Bayern Munich man made a dramatic U-turn to join the Potters to the delight of Hughes and fans alike.
The signing of a player from Inter Milan is a real coup for the club, and this season Shaqiri should make a huge difference for Stoke as they look to build on last season’s ninth place finish.
It is true that Shaqiri did fail to live up to expectations at the Allianz Arena and the San Siro, struggling to nail down a permanent first-team spot due to a lack of consistency. Nonetheless that does not make him a bad player and there is no doubting the huge potential and quality the former FC Basel man possesses, and at just 23-years-old a fee of £12m for such a talent certainly does seem risk-free when compared to the £49m fee Man City paid for Raheem Sterling – a similar player to Shaqiri, albeit a few years younger.
The last couple of years for Shaqiri have been particularly frustrating as he has only played 41 league games in that time – both with Inter Milan and at Bayern. Not the amount of football he needs to improve and develop his game.
So it is clear that Stoke will be getting a player fully driven to play regular football again and show why he is so highly-rated.
He will need to be given confidence to shine and Shaqiri had already revealed the faith shown in him by Hughes was one of the deciding factors in his move to the Premier League. He said: “It is very important for me to have the coach behind me showing great belief in me, and Mark Hughes has done that.
“I really want to show him and the rest of staff, players and supporters great football on the pitch and hopefully help move the club forward.”
It is clear that Shaqiri needs that belief to flourish. Hughes will give him that at Stoke and it will allow the Premier League to see the very best of Shaqiri, which is certainly be a prospect that will excite the Potters fans for the rest of the season.
At his best the stocky attacker is frighteningly good. He has a fantastic touch, rapid pace, quick acceleration off the mark, strength to keep the ball, the ability to beat players and create chances and perhaps most importantly a tendency to score goals.
There is no doubting that if Hughes can get the best out of Shaqiri the difference he will make at Stoke this season will be massive.
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