It looks like the Chicago Fire are about to complete their second splash signing, of a European player, in franchise history. Former Liverpool man Xherdan Shaqiri will join Bastian Schweinsteiger as tremendously accomplished midfielders in Europe who would later cross the pond to sign on with CFFC.
This is according to multiple outlets, including the MLS in house website, who posted it first. The Shaq deal isn’t completely done yet, but according to all accounts, both sides feel it will be finalized soon, and a formal announcement could be made in the coming days.
For the Fire, this is EXACTLY what they need, as they have no real star players in the squad. This has been the case since 2019 when Schweinsteiger hung up his cleats.
The Fire, who only have one playoff appearance in the last nine seasons, really need a name they can print on shirts and sell to fans/an individual footballer to draw people to Soldier Field. And Shaqiri, currently with French side Lyon, is someone who will instantly be among the biggest names in Major League Soccer.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more accomplished individual footballer in the league, as he’s won the following trophies:
Premier League, Champions League (2x), Swiss Super League (3x), Bundesliga (3x)
He’s also been capped 100 times for Switzerland, for whom he’ll play for in the World Cup this winter. The Swiss connection is obviously a major part of why the 30 year old is coming to the Windy City, for a transfer fee that is, as of yet, to be reported. (It may not even be fully agreed upon as of now).
CFFC Sporting Director Georg Heitz and Shaqiri go back a long ways, to when the duo were at Swiss powerhouse FC Basel, where the X man began his professional playing career.
In addition to Lyon, Liverpool and Basel, Shaqiri has also played for this German outfit that you may have heard of, Bayern Munich. They’re a club that seem to be going places. But seriously, and not joking, this is a major move for the club, who need to see something out of Heitz, and soon.
Heitz has already sacked one manager, Raphael Wicky, and now with the new boss, Ezra Hendrickson, in place they need to finally show some progress.
The Fire haven’t accomplished anything since the new regime took over, but with a great owner who is committed to building a winner, things should start to happen once they really get some better talent on the roster.
Signing Shaqiri is a start towards accomplishing just that, but obviously, he’ll need many more pieces around him.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.