Former Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg has said that he 'does not understand' why Xherdan Shaqiri has decided to join Stoke City.
The Switzerland international completed his move to the Potters from Inter Milan on Tuesday, just eight months after he left Bayern to join Inter, becoming Stoke's record signing in the process.
Effenberg has claimed that the 23-year-old midfielder has made a mistake by moving to the Britannia Stadium instead of heading back to the Bundesliga.
"I do not understand Shaqiri's move to Stoke at all. You have been badly advised if you go there," Goal.com quotes Effenberg as saying.
"You have to ask yourself where you can reach your sporting goals as a footballer. That should be the challenge. Schalke would have been perfect for Shaqiri. Earning €1m (£720,000) more or less should be irrelevant.
"When you can make €6m (£4.3m) at Stoke or €3m (£2.15m) at Schalke, you pick the latter. You play Bundesliga football in a great stadium, get your desired return to Germany and play for a great club that you can help move forward.
"But Stoke? Come on, I cannot understand the player, his agent, his parents or his brother. This is a shame and a sad state of affairs. Only because they are throwing around cash? Is it really all about money for footballers these days?"
Shaqiri has signed a five-year deal with Stoke.
Steven Toplis
