West Ham United should make a move for the Stoke City winger this month.
As the Dimitri Payet saga continues to rumble on at West Ham, Slaven Bilic must surely be lining up potential transfer targets who could possibly replace the wantaway Frenchman.
The 29-year-old former Marseille star, despite his obvious faults as far as loyalty is concerned, will surely still prove to be a big loss, from a productivity perspective, and the Hammers boss must ensure that he brings both a creative and goalscoring threat into the club this month.
And an ideal transfer target for the East London outfit would be Stoke City’s mercurial winger Xherdan Shaqiri.
Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri in action
The 25-year-old Switzerland international has failed to live up to expectations this season for the Potters, scoring just three goals and registering zero assets in 14 Premier League outings so far this term.
The former Bayern Munich man possesses all the attributes that would make him an ideal replacement for Payet, however, should the Frenchman eventually leave the Hammers.
He has exemplary technical ability when in possession of the football, and is a set-piece specialist – something that will be a prerequisite for any potential Payet replacement.
Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri in action
And with Andy Carroll leading the line for Bilic’s men, Shaqiri’s presence in the West Ham team would surely make them a more potent attacking threat.
The diminutive play-maker’s contract with the Potters does not expire until the summer of 2020, however, so it would take a fairly substantial offer from the Hammers to tempt Stoke into selling one of their prized assets.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
