Transfer Talk: Xherdan Shaqiri unwilling to put in the work

An apt Shaqiri picture!

Xherdan Shaqiri Interest

Swiss newspaper Blick says Xherdan Shaqiri will not be leaving Stoke City for Galatasaray. They say Tottenham, Everton, Southampton and AS Roma are far more likely destinations. They list the Swiss international's release clause as £12.68 million (€14.5m) as reported elsewhere.

Reading the article though, it is all speculation because the media have made suggestions rather than actual concrete information. He wasn't good enough for INter or Bayern Munich with attitude problems and he is a defensive liability at the moment, the same as Wilfried Zaha.

Huddersfield Town are set to launch a bid for Shaqiri, does that tell you the level he is at, no disrespect to Huddersfield Town but they re not a top-six club are they.

Stoke Sentinel View

These remarks from the Stoke Sentinel (the local newspaper) should show that he is not Spurs material and that in all probability our name is simply being used to garner transfer interest.

"If Stoke are going to win promotion next season they will probably need a minimum 70 goals, but where the hell are they going to come from?

"What we need is players who have both the willingness and the brain to make it count in the final third. It’s no good having one but not the other, like Xherdan Shaqiri.

"Shaqiri, a player with the brain, but not the willingness. When was the last time, for instance, that you saw him come short, check, then sprint behind his marker to get into space for the pass?

"Never, ever I’d say. It’s laziness and a shirking of responsibility.

"Under Mark Hughes, meanwhile, players like Shaqiri were allowed to get away with it. Mark Arnautovic was another who was allowed to get away with it.

"Not at West Ham, though, where David Moyes made it pretty clear from day one of arriving at the club that Arnautovic had to dig deep or he was out of the team.

"He dug deep, helped keep them up and won player-of-the-year."

Shaqiri Mental Issue

Now Arnautovicis being linked with Manchester United. Wilfried Zaha has a similar problem at Crystal Palace, he goes to sleep when the opposition have the ball. Vastly overrated,

Zaha statistically creates less chances than teammate Andros Townsend, Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United), Chris Brunt (WBA), Marc Albrighton (Leicester City) and Jordon Ibe (Bournemouth). Palace want £50 million (€57.18m) plus for him!

With both he and Shaquiri it is a mental issue.

If you can change that you get a quality player. If you can't then they are simply a luxury you are carrying and we can't have that at Tottenham, not if we are to maintain a top-four slot and continue to challenge for trophies.

So any Shaqiri interests revolves around can Pochettino change his mentality when others couldn't?

COYS

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Transfer Talk: Xherdan Shaqiri unwilling to put in the work