Liverpools Xherdan Shaqiri Reveals How Jurgen Klopp Lured Him to Anfield in the Summer

​Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri has revealed that all it took to convince him to sign at Anfield last summer was a FaceTime call from manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Swiss international had spent three years at Stoke City before they were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, allowing the Reds to trigger Shaqiri's £13.5m relegation clause in his contract.

Speaking to ​Sport1 in Germany ahead of ​Liverpool's Champions League tie against ​Bayern Munich, Shaqiri lamented the Potters' relegation, saying: “I had three nice years at ​Stoke City. They gave me the chance to play in the Premier League. But unfortunately, we were relegated.

“I was very disappointed about that because the club didn’t deserve that. But then I wanted a new challenge and had the opportunity with Liverpool.”

Still reckon Shaqiri still wishes he was at Stoke

— Max Rushden (@maxrushden) December 16, 2018

The 27-year-old went on to explain how ​Liverpool manager Klopp secured his signature - all thanks to a text message and a FaceTime call.

“My brother (Shaqiri’s adviser) got a call [from Klopp]. Then Jurgen wrote me an SMS and asked if I could be reached by FaceTime. Then I wrote: ‘Sure’. 

"So, he called me on the first call with FaceTime. That was funny. Jurgen called me and wanted to have me in the team. I did not hesitate too long, because I really wanted to play under him in this great club.”

Gary Neville was critical of Liverpool's signing Xherdan Shaqiri in the summer.

Shaqiri scores a vital goal against Neville's team, while Neville has to commentate on the goal.

The Premier League. pic.twitter.com/FlE8TwIphd

— bet365 (@bet365) December 16, 2018

Shaqiri truly announced himself at Merseyside with a brace against bitter rivals ​Manchester United in December, proving to be an astute signing for the title challengers, registering six goals and two assists in the Premier League despite making just 11 starts.

His game time has also been restricted in the Champions League, managing just 86 minutes on the field during the group stage, with the Basel youth product unlikely to start for the Reds against his former club Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Xherdan Shaqiri: “I was very happy because I wanted to play against Bayern Munich, against my old teammates and my old team. I’m looking forward to the game. We won a lot of titles, we won the Champions League. We had the best team Bayern Munich had.”  pic.twitter.com/wktSjGwq7I

— Anfield HQ (@AnfieldHQ) February 18, 2019

Shaqiri has become a strong squad player at Klopp's disposal and at a cut-price of only £13.5m, could end up being the Premier League catch of the year. 

Source : 90min