Jamie Carragher Hails New Liverpool Signing as a 'Steal' After Impressive Carabao Cup Showing
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed he was impressed with new signing Xherdan Shaqiri's performance during Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, adding that he believes the signing was a bargain.
The Swiss forward joined Liverpool for around £12m this summer, and was given the full 90 minutes for his side in the match with Chelsea. Despite the defeat, Shaqiri showcased glimpses of his impressive ability, proving why Liverpool were keen to sign him from relegated Stoke City.
Carragher was a commentator on the match for Sky Sports, during which he revealed that he had been impressed with what he had seen from Shaqiri. He said (quoted by This Is Futbol): “There’s no doubt there is quality in that left foot, been real evidence of that, certainly a few days ago that free-kick he took, come in score the goal.
“But we’ve seen also tonight that he doesn’t have Salah’s blistering pace but for £12million, he’s a steal."
The 26-year-old, who has represented the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, looked a constant threat on the right side of Liverpool's front three. Whilst not possessing the same speed as Mohamed Salah, he certainly boasts an impressive turn of pace.
He surprised many when he opted to join Stoke City in 2015. He regularly played a starring role for the team, but was unable to prevent the side suffering relegation from the Premier League last season.
He famously admitted that even Ronaldinho would not have been able to prevent such a poor side from relegation (according to Goal).
As of yet, Shaqiri has struggled to make a real impact on Liverpool's first team. He has played a backup role to Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, with the match against Chelsea being only his second start for the club.
His first start came in Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Southampton last weekend, but his appearance lasted only 45 minutes as Jurgen Klopp opted to withdraw the winger at half time.