When Xherdan Shaqiri left Liverpool in the summer, it was hardly a surprise.
The Swiss playmaker had rarely been more than a bit-part player at Anfield and had spoken publicly of his desire to leave when representing Switzerland at Euro 2020.
Having won the Premier League and Champions League with the Reds, there was little more the 30-year-old could achieve on Merseyside, and, with his Liverpool career falling the same way as his time with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, the time was right for him to move on in search of a starring role as opposed to a supporting one.
When Lyon made their interest known, it seemed a good fit. While no longer the dominant French force they were in the noughties, they were still able to offer Europa League football. With a Premier League league and two-time European champion in their ranks, maybe the playmaker could even push them back into title contention.
Linked with moves away in the past, seeing one such transfer collapse at the start of last season, the Reds had previously wanted £20m-£25m for Shaqiri’s signature. Yet come this season, they were happy to make back the £13.5m fee they spent on him.
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In the end they shook hands on a £9.5m deal with Lyon, after the Ligue 1 outfit had seen an initial £4m offer rejected.
With the financial ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic still in place, Liverpool were forced to lower initial asking prices as a number of players moved on for less than the club would have initially hoped.
But while the fee agreed might have seemed low to some, the fact that the Reds opted not to sign a replacement, having also seen Gini Wijnaldum depart on a free transfer, was particularly galling.
Instead, Ibrahima Konate was the only new arrival at Anfield as Klopp instead chose to promote from within.
Anfield sources confirmed to the ECHO that the club had already planned for Shaqiri’s departure by promoting Harvey Elliott to Liverpool’s first team, following his successful year on loan with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, while Kaide Gordon would also be fast-tracked following impressive pre-seasons.
Yet less than three weeks after the Switzerland international’s exit, Elliott, having been reinvented as a central-midfielder, would dislocate his ankle at Leeds United and be ruled out for five months. It would be the start of a Reds midfield injury crisis.
It is telling that despite seeing bodies drop one by one in the engine room during the first half of the season, not once was it suggested that the decision to sell Shaqiri was a mistake.
Sure, he had played in the deeper role Elliott had emerged in during his time at Anfield, but his best spell with Liverpool came during his first season when Klopp had switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation and used him behind a striker or out on the right.
Yet it was the same come January when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, along with Naby Keita, leaving the Reds short in attack.
As good as Shaqiri could be when selected, as demonstrated by memorable performances and notable goal contributions against Manchester United, Barcelona and Everton, and as popular as he was among fans as a result, there was always a feeling he could never be more than a bit-part player and it was only a matter of time before he moved on.
And his fortunes at Lyon did little to convince otherwise as the French club quickly began to have second thoughts about their summer investment.
According to reports in France in December, Lyon had already made their mind up to part ways with the 30-year-old, with his reported £87k a-week wage said to be 'too much' for a club struggling financially and enduring a disappointing season.
Finishing fourth in Ligue 1 last season, they were as low as 13th when such reports emerged at a time when Shaqiri was regularly being left out of the starting XI.
And that speculation proved to be true after it was confirmed he would be joining Chicago Fire as a designated MLS player in a £5.5m deal earlier this week.
Registering two goals and three assists from 16 appearances for Lyon, with 11 of those games coming in Ligue 1, his time in France quickly soured.
A registered player for 25 matches, he was initially first-choice as he started 10 times and made one substitute appearance from his first 12 games with the club.
However, he would play just twice from Lyon’s next nine games after often being left as an unused squad member, before making two substitute appearances in January - leaving him with just five appearances since the end of October when the winter transfer window closed.
He would start his final match for the club against Marseille, scoring a goal and claiming an assist as Lyon clinched a 2-1 victory, but it would come too late to save his career with the club as Chicago Fire made their move.
With Liverpool possessing an ageing squad, the decision to sell the midfielder has been more than vindicated by his short spell in France and subsequent move to the MLS.
And while the Reds might have missed out financially from his premature exit, they can have no regrets about their decision to favour Elliott and Gordon.
Combined, the duo have made nine appearances for Liverpool this season yet match Shaqiri’s total of two goals between them. Had it not been for the former’s dislocated ankle, such totals would inevitably stand higher, with his goal on return against Cardiff last weekend only reiterating such a point.
With such returns coming from a combined 524 minutes, as opposed to the Swiss’ 995 minutes from 11 games, their impact is only going to grow with experience with the duo very much earmarked as Liverpool’s future with the 18 and 17-year-old schooled in the Reds’ way of playing. Consider the pair cost them a combined £7.3m, including all potential add-ons, they can already be regarded as bargains.
In contrast, Shaqiri was a Liverpool exit waiting to happen despite his success at Anfield, never truly fully fitting into how Klopp wants his players to play.
Now set to ply his trade in North America, his time atop Europe’s biggest stages is very much over.
Back at Anfield, Elliott and Gordon’s time is only beginning.
