This Swiss Superman is heading to Stoke City after a shocking final bid. Did Stoke overpay or get a steal with Xherdan Shaqiri?
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In a shocking end to a major bidding race, Stoke City won the services of midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, beating the likes of Man United and Liverpool in the process.
According to Sky Sports, Stoke won the day with a £12 million offer to Inter Milan for the 23-year-old Swiss national star’s signature. Shaqiri’s previous sale price had been estimated at £10.6 million. Shaqiri made 15 appearances for Serie A powerhouse Inter Milan after a transfer from Bayern Munich this past January.
Shaqiri was considered a consistent scoring threat as a winger with FC Basel of the Swiss Super League and then with Munich in Bungesliga. In his first six senior seasons, Shaqiri recorded 29 goals in 144 appearances. FC Basel won three straight Super League titles during Shaqiri’s tenure with the club as well as two Swiss Cups.
As a representative of Switzerland in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Shaqiri was named Man of the Match in a win over Ecuador and recorded a hat trick against Honduras (also taking home Man of the Match honors). In five years and 42 appearances for the Swiss national team, Shaqiri has 15 goals – 7 of which came in 2014 on just 12 appearances.
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