Xherdan Shaqiri reveals Liverpool BLOCKED him from move away last year before he finally sealed Lyon exit

XHERDAN SHAQIRI says he wanted to leave Liverpool last year – but the Reds did not want to let him go.

The Swiss playmaker’s three-year stay at Anfield ended in August 2021 when he joined Lyon for £9.5million.

The 29-year-old had fallen down the pecking order under Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and did not start the season in the side.

He featured in just 63 games after joining from Stoke City for £13million in 2018, and never established himself as a starter.

In the absence of injured Granit Xhaka, Shaqiri will captain Switzerland against Northern Ireland and Lithuania over the next week.

And in the build-up to those World Cup qualifiers, he was asked if he was happy with his move to Ligue 1 after his six-year spell in England.

He told Blick: “Very – I wanted to change a year ago. But at that time Liverpool did not agree.

“I liked the vision of Lyon’s trainer Peter Bosz the most. He plays offensive football, which suits me a lot.

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“I wanted a new challenge, a new language and being close to my family.

“In France, it's my turn to get 100 per cent back in shape. I need a lot of games. And I get that at Lyon.

“If I'm in good shape, I can help Lyon and the national team even more.”

Shaqiri won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool and was a key man as the Swiss were only denied a semi-final place at Euro 2020 following a penalty shoot-out defeat to Spain.

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