It is a nice coup that OL achieved with the signing of Xherdan Shaqiri this summer.
With a large track record (two Champions Leagues, three German championships, one English championship), the Swiss arrived in the Rhône with the mission of boosting a Lyon attack that was not very exciting at the start of the season.
Apart from the match against Clermont, the Lyonnais experienced all the trouble in the world to get opportunities and the arrival of the 2019 European champion with Liverpool raises a lot of hope.
But the Swiss must above all revive and finally win as a starter in a club.
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Trophies but little playing time
At 29, Xherdan Shaqiri had a special career. Passed by big clubs such as Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool, he has never managed to win permanently. Despite the qualities that we want to recognize him, the leader of the Nati has always been blocked by competition, whether it is that of Robben and Ribéry at Bayern Munich or that of the infernal trio Salah, Mané, Firmino in Liverpool. Yes, Shaqiri won a shovelful of trophies but he also played little. The Swiss international is coming out of two seasons where he played 14 and 7 league games. Finding some rhythm will therefore be his first challenge.
The only clubs where he has succeeded in establishing himself are Stoke City and Basel, much less prestigious than Bayern and Liverpool. Shaqiri is also a matter of the glass ceiling that he will have to work to break with OL. With the departure of a Memphis Depay who weighed 76 goals and 55 assists on the Lyon attack front will be a daunting task. Especially since the Swiss has never passed the bar of 10 league goals in a season. A lack of efficiency that Juninho did not hesitate to recognize. "He
is not a player who will score 15-20 goals in a season, but he is capable of scoring ten and making assists
", had entrusted the sporting director of OL for the site of club.
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Experience and fragility
Despite this relative efficiency, the signing of Xherdan Shaqiri is exciting for OL.
Because the rookie has a profile that was sorely lacking in Les Gones.
“
We had been talking to Shaqiri for a long time.
We needed a lane player who could strike,
”explained Juninho.
In addition, he should quickly find his marks in the system of Peter Bosz which corresponds more to his qualities than those of other Lyon offensives.
In addition, with the English champion, Lyon has secured the services of a player accustomed to stunts in important moments. Evidenced by his double off the bench to offer the victory to Liverpool against Manchester United in 2018. The prospect of having a decisive player in the big games must also delight the Lyon fans, frustrated by the lack of results against the "big guys". Of Ligue 1 in the past seasons. Beyond his qualities as a footballer, Shaqiri is also a hardworking player and "
a competitor
" as Juninho confided. Used to the repeated efforts requested by Jürgen Klopp, Shaqiri's combativeness will not hurt the Lyonnais, whose lack of intensity Bosz has often regretted.
However, despite his imposing size, which makes him difficult for defenders to manage, Shaqiri has a fragile physique. The 29-year-old winger has been regularly sidelined for months in his later years, which greatly contributed to his downgrade at Liverpool. Although his state of form raises many questions, Xherdan Shaqiri remains a breath of fresh air for a Lyon attacking line which is in dire need.