Stoke City midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has admitted that staying with the Potters for the rest of his careerwould be 'silly' and that he is eyeing a return to playing to Champions League football.
The Switzerland international moved to the Premier League clubfor £12m in July 2015, after a torrid few months at Serie A giants Inter Milan, and despite a slow start to life in Englandwith a calf injury, Shaqiri has helped his side to ninth position with three goals in nine league appearances.
However, according to theMirror, the former Bayern Munich playmaker has suggested that he is in no position to commit his long term future to the club at such a young age, admitting that he would like a move to a side in the Champions League at some point.
"It would be silly to say that I want to end my career at Stoke," said the 25-year-old
At the moment I feel very comfortable. I have scored three goals, as many as in the whole of last season.
I'm still confused as to how Shaqiri is still at Stoke and no Champions League Club wants him... pic.twitter.com/gPYC50irnL
Stoke: super coach, super team, ninth in the Premier League. But of course I want to play Champions League again in the near future.�
His move to the English top flight side drew some criticism, not leastfrom the Swiss national side coachOttmar Hitzfeld, who claimedhe would be sorry if Shaqiri would play forever at Stoke.
Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri has been handing out some advice to Granit Xhaka about settling into life in England. https://t.co/3hVlKRfTMA
However, Shaqiri insists this is only natural, and has even had Stoke boss Mark Hughes invite Hitzfeldto watch him play in the best league in the world: "It is normal for a big coach to focus on the big players and the big teams.But Mark Hughes has reacted well ” he has invited him to Stoke.
"For example, for the home game against Manchester United.The Premier League is more balanced than the Bundesliga. That's why it is, for me, the best league in the world."