Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Must Go Back for Xherdan Shaqiri in January

After a summer splurge that saw a flurry of players come through the Anfield entrance door, recent revelations suggest that Brendan Rodgers could have added even more talent to this exciting Liverpool squad.

That’s after Bayern Munich man Xherdan Shaqiri confirmed that the Reds approached the German champions about a potential transfer. But according to the Swiss winger, the Bavarians refused to entertain any talk of a deal, per Sky Sports:

"

Liverpool made a bid for me before the World Cup but Bayern put their foot down and told me, ‘We’re not going to sell you’.

My contract runs until 2016 and I could possibly extend it. I will consider my decision during the winter break.

"

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With the 22-year-old wide-man clearly coy regarding his future in the Bundesliga, the Reds must go back and test Bayern’s resolve with another bid in January. Not because the club are currently in dire need of firepower, but because Shaqiri is a player who ticks all the boxes when it comes to Rodgers’ requisite abilities for footballers.

Here are some of Shaqiri’s best moments in a Bayern shirt:

Shaqiri left FC Basel for the German juggernauts in 2012 as one of the hottest young talents in European football. His unique somatotype and bustling dribbling style made him an encapsulating player to watch, and when Bayern tied him down, it was regarded as a major coup for the Bavarians.

But the move to Germany has done little to expedite Shaqiri’s development as an attacking midfielder—quite the opposite, in fact. He certainly can’t be hard up about not getting the first-team opportunities—he has to compete with Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery for starting berths, after all—but he’ll be acutely aware he’s at a stage in his career where game time is imperative.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

He could wait around at Bayern for that consistent first-team football, and with Robben and Ribery approaching the twilights of their careers, more chances could emerge for the Swiss. But alternatively, he could push for a move to Liverpool and join Rodgers’ red renaissance.

If he was to make the switch to Anfield, not only would Shaqiri see plenty more minutes on the field, he’d be able to flourish as a rounded attacking player under the tutelage of one of the brightest young managers in the game.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Shaqiri is an adaptable player capable of operating on either flank or as a central attacking player; that versatility would suit the fluid style in which Liverpool play—which typically varies from game to game under Rodgers—down to the ground. But it’s his blistering pace, powerful surges and ferocious left foot that’d surely get the Kop off their seats in appreciation.

Despite having been on the periphery of this Bayern first XI since his move two years ago, there’s still an obvious potential there to be tapped into when it comes to Shaqiri. He’s matured considerably from the capricious player that we witnessed in his early displays for the Swiss national side, and even though he’s still young, now he relishes in the responsibility of being the nation’s key player.

Indeed, that was no more evident than in this summer’s World Cup, where Shaqiri scored a hat-trick against Honduras in the group stages and was outstanding in Switzerland’s narrow defeat to Argentina in the last-16.

During the Brazil showpiece he was a creative force, too. But too often he was let down by profligate teammates, as noted here courtesy of WhoScored.com:

If Shaqiri doesn’t see a spike in his first-team chances before the January window, then he must push for a move; a talent as bespoke and encapsulating as his should not be clamped to the substitutes bench. 

If he was to go anywhere, there are few places in the game better than Anfield for him to play, grow and finally make good on the stratospheric potential he showed at Basel. Liverpool must act fast in the upcoming window to ensure they’re the primary benefactors of what could be an irrepressible talent.