Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam has launched an extraordinary attack at Liverpool new boy Xherdan Shaqiri, by questioning his former colleague’s professionalism and claiming that the team turned into ‘water carriers’ for him.
Adam, himself a former Liverpool man, was asked for his opinion on his recently departed team-mate after Shaqiri sealed a summer switch to Anfield.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5Live, Adam gave his views on the Switzerland international and imparted some information about what went on during his time in Staffordshire.
Charlie Adam has criticised former team-mate Xherdan Shaqiri, along with boss Paul Lambert
Adam (right) feels Shaqiri (left) did not always pull his weight during Stoke’s relegation battle
‘We had a meeting and the previous manager went around us all and basically called us water carriers – and he was the world class player we had in our team,’ said Adam.
‘Basically, we had to get him on the ball to go and make something happen, which was difficult to take.
‘For the players we had in our squad and after what we’d achieved at that club, it was hard to accept.
‘The manager would let him get away with certain things, but we were in a relegation battle,’ he added.
Adam’s words were aimed at former manager Paul Lambert, who used Shaqiri as the spearhead in the Potters forward line as they battled to retain their Premier League status.
Shaqiri sealed a summer move as Stoke’s relegation saw Liverpool activate a release clause
The Switzerland star made his debut against Manchester United and scored a sublime goal
It was a task that was ultimately set to fail, with Stoke dropping down into the Championship and Lambert losing his job as a result.
While the blame is shared among the team, Adam also hinted that mercurial forward Shaqiri simply did not pull his weight at times when all hands were needed on deck.
‘We needed everyone to run, scrap, fight, dig, kick – do whatever it takes to stay up, but we fell short. But there were others too, it wasn’t just him.
‘We knew he was a match-winner, he was, but we felt we should have had more respect from that point of view.
Adam feels former Stoke boss Paul Lambert allowed talisman Shaqiri to ‘get away with things’
Shaqiri secured a cut-price £13million move to Merseyside after Stoke’s relegation enabled the Reds to activate a release clause.
Following a prolonged break on the back of the Russia World Cup, Shaqiri recently joined up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of America.
Boss Jurgen Klopp gave the Swiss star his debut after just four days of training, against arch rivals Manchester United, in which he came off the bench to provide an assist for Daniel Sturridge and score a sublime overhead kick.