When it became clear that Xherdan Shaqiri was set to join Liverpool from Stoke City in a deal worth £13m ($15.8m) last summer, it’s fair to say there was a mixed reaction. Some felt, given the modest transfer fee, it was a potential bargain and an obvious no-brainer.

Others had their doubts over whether the stocky 5ft 7in ‘power cube’ had the necessary traits – both as a footballer and as a character – to succeed at Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

He had already made his big move to FC Bayern, which didn’t work out for him, and a brief loan spell at Inter Milan which yielded one goal in 15 appearances in Serie A, before establishing himself in the Premier League at Stoke where he was able to become a relatively big fish in a smaller pond.

Upon joining Liverpool, Shaqiri was essentially seen as a cheap, low-risk backup option for Mohamed Salah – an intriguing crossover in career paths given that Salah was bought as Shaqiri’s replacement at FC Basel back in 2012 when the Swiss made the move to Bayern and was then seen as one of Europe’s brightest rising stars.

Fast forward to the present, though, and Shaqiri finds himself at a crossroads once more, having dropped off the radar almost entirely in 2019. From the outside one might assume his performances simply haven’t warranted greater involvement, but the numbers paint an entirely different story.

In all competitions last season, Shaqiri provided six goals and five assists in 30 appearances, but only half of them came from the start. He provided a goal or an assist every 112 minutes – the second-highest rate in the Liverpool squad behind only Divock Origi (84 mins), compared to Salah (117 mins), Sadio Mané (151 mins) and Roberto Firmino (146 mins).

Obviously Shaqiri’s sample size is far smaller, but compared to the first choice front three his productivity undeniably stacks up well. When considering the significance of Shaqiri’s contributions, he also had a major influence in several vital moments and results. There was the second-half brace off the bench in beating Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield, the assist for Origi’s last-gasp winner against Newcastle United, and, of course, the assist for Gini Wijnaldum’s second goal in the 4-0 victory against FC Barcelona at Anfield.

(Image: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Against Barcelona, Shaqiri’s performance was far from perfect, especially in the first-half, but he still stamped his mark on one of the most iconic nights in Liverpool’s history and stepped up when Klopp needed him in the absence of Salah and Firmino, despite being left on the sidelines for the vast majority of the four months prior.

And yet the last of Shaqiri’s six goals for Liverpool to date came against Newcastle on Boxing Day, while he didn’t start a single league game after the 1-1 draw against Leicester City at Anfield on 30 January.

So far this season, he has been reduced to two substitute appearances in the Community Shield and against Burnley when the game was won. Even when Klopp rested Mané on the opening day against Norwich City, it was Origi who was asked to step in and fill the void in the front three. In the UEFA Super Cup victory against Chelsea, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who filled in when Firmino was rested, albeit an experiment which did not work out.

Against Southampton last month, Klopp unleashed his first choice front three from the start for the first time this season, and despite the team going all the way to extra-time and penalties in Istanbul, Shaqiri still wasn’t required at any stage, even off the bench, such was the way in which the match unfolded at St Mary’s.

He would be justified, therefore, in wondering where his opportunities will arise and why he has seemingly fallen so far down the pecking order. There was one particular moment last season which stood out in this regard, when Klopp withdrew Shaqiri at half-time against Southampton at Anfield despite Liverpool being 3-0 up and the Swiss playing a prominent role in the first and third goals, including a thunderous free-kick which crashed off the crossbar before being tapped-in by Salah on the line.

(Image: Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images)

There was no injury, as Klopp substituted Shaqiri purely for ‘tactical’ reasons as he felt Liverpool had lacked the necessary control and defensive structure despite their comfortable position on the scoreline. Klopp had already shifted the system to suit Shaqiri, as well as integrating Fabinho into the team, switching to 4-2-3-1 in order to accommodate the former on the right-hand side as part of an attacking quartet.

In this role, Shaqiri’s unpredictability, eye for a killer pass and naturally creative style meant he gave Liverpool an even greater cutting edge to their attacking play. Yet in terms of his positioning off the ball, Klopp clearly did not trust him to play as part of a three-man midfield – not necessarily due to a lack of effort or work rate, but simply because Shaqiri did not fit the profile of the more defensively astute and robust central midfielders at Klopp’s disposal.

Klopp has also been very reluctant to play Shaqiri in the front three, perhaps due to his lack of explosive pace and intensity in terms of his pressing, while the fact he is so strongly left-footed and bases his game around cutting infield from the right means that he has rarely ever played off the left flank and is not seen as a viable option there.

All this means is that Shaqiri finds himself in a difficult predicament through no particular fault of his own making, as a spare part who doesn’t quite fit into either the midfield or attacking profile of Klopp’s favoured 4-3-3. Were Klopp to consider a move back to 4-2-3-1 at any point in the coming weeks and months, then Shaqiri’s prospects would surely improve, and he remains a potential game-changing option off the bench.

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As it stands, though, it is difficult to see where he gets his game barring an injury crisis, and no one could blame him for considering where his future lies. Shaqiri did not go on international duty with Switzerland during this break, which has raised questions about possible forthcoming opportunities at Anfield, given that he is his nations best player. However, his whole situation currently seems uncertain, to say the least.

Shaqiri arrived at Liverpool as an enigma, and there is every chance that when the time comes for him to move on, he will remain a figure widely liked for his memorable contributions and unorthodox style of play, but forever shrouded in mystery.