Shaqiri’s Lyon flop to cost Liverpool €5m
Robin Bairner
- 5 Feb 2022 12:42 GMT
- 3 min read
Xherdan Shaqiri’s failed stint at Lyon is set to cost Liverpool around €5 million.
The Switzerland international attacker left Anfield for the Ligue 1 side in the summer but struggled to make a positive impression in France.
Although he scored one and created another on what looks to be his final appearance for Lyon, Shaqiri was undoubtedly a transfer flop. Signed to replace Memphis Depay at OL, his contribution of two goals in half a season was well below what was expected of him.
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On Friday, it was announced that Shaqiri would not take part in Lyon’s match against Monaco due to advanced discussions over a transfer with an unnamed MLS club.
The Chicago Fire are thought to be the MLS outfit closing in on the attacker, with Lyon set to make a transfer profit on the player by selling him on for close to €7m.
Meanwhile, the deal is set to see Shaqiri’s former club Liverpool miss out on up to €5m.
Shaqiri's Lyon troubles
When the player made his transfer in the summer, the total sum of the deal was €11m, though €5m of this was contingent on bonus payments. Needless to say, after such an underwhelming spell in France, none of these have been met and Liverpool will, therefore, miss out on the full sum of these.
Although Shaqiri’s transfer to the US seemed to come out of the blue, Lyon had braced themselves for such a deal by signing Romain Faivre from Brest in the closing days of the transfer window.
The crucial difference between the two players is in terms of versatility, with Faivre able to play off the right side of the field – something that Shaqiri was never able to achieve. With this in mind, L’Equipe reports that privately Lyon have admitted that he was the wrong player to sign.
While Lyon’s mistake has cost Shaqiri six months of his career, it has also cost Liverpool a significant sum of money, too.
