Stoke City transformed winger after £12m transfer | OneFootball

The Swiss star had struggled in the years prior to his move to Staffordshire, but had some major highlights in red-and-white.

Xherdan Shaqiri's career is one that he will look back on with pride when he eventually hangs up his boots, playing for some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool.

Interspersed between those sides is Stoke City, with the now Championship side bringing the ex-Switzerland international to Staffordshire in the summer of 2015 for £12m.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the winger when he first made the move, with his three previous clubs some of the biggest in their respective nations, after he started his career at FC Basel, the club he is once again plying his trade for.

Shaqiri arrived at Stoke after a difficult few years, and he was looking to regain his confidence, this time in the Premier League, and what followed was three seasons filled with up, downs and everything in-between.

Shaqiri's injury struggles plagued his time at Stoke

The then 23-year-old found it hard to find the back of the net during his first season in red-and-white. However, he struggled to stay in the team for long periods at a time, and although he featured 27 times, he played no more than seven games in a row.

His first goals for the club came against Everton, as he grabbed a brace in an exciting 4-3 win at Goodison Park, just days after he had played a key role in helping his team beat Manchester United 2-0 at the bet365 Stadium on Boxing Day.

He added one more goal before the campaign came to an end, netting the winner against Newcastle United in a tight 1-0 victory. The Potters finished 9th in the Premier League for the third successive year, and Shaqiri was looking forward to playing a bigger role in 2016/17.

Despite his own desires, his second season with Stoke proved even more difficult. The winger suffered a calf issue that led to his manager, Mark Hughes, conceding that he was an injury-prone player.

It was the biggest frustration of Shaqiri throughout his time in Staffordshire, as his inability to stay fit meant that he found consistency troublesome, and he was failing to live up to the fee that was paid for him.

Shaqiri's last season at Stoke was his best despite relegation

The 2017/18 campaign ultimately proved to be the current Basel star's final one at the bet365 stadium, and he saved the best until last, and he maintained his fitness throughout.

Shaqiri also got more involved on the goal front, grabbing eight in the Premier League while also registering seven assists.

The Potters looked as though they were heading towards a mid-table finish, but a slump towards the end of the year saw them embroiled in a relegation scrap that few saw coming. Stoke won just twice in the Premier League in 2018, with the first of those victories coming against Huddersfield Town in January, while their final one came on the last day of the season against Swansea City.

Shaqiri scored four goals and picked up two assists during that run, and he could do little to help the slump that the side suffered as they were relegated to the Championship.

Stoke came to an agreement with Liverpool to sell Shaqiri for £13m later than summer, offering the winger yet another huge club to ply his trade for as the Potters' demise continued in the following years.