Shaqiri playing in the middle of nowhere - Degen

The Basel veteran has launched a scatching attack on his Swiss team-mate's agent, who he blames for shifting the attacker to the Premier League midtable obscurity Xherdan Shaqirihas been mocked by his Switzerland team-mate Philipp Degen for choosing to leave Interfor "middle of nowhere" Stoke City. Shaqiri's potential was evident to all when he sealed a €11.6 million move from Basel to Bayern Munich in 2012, but he failed to ever secure a regular spot in the first team - first under Jupp Heynckes and then under Pep Guardiola. In January, plenty of major European clubs were still vying for the attacking midfielder's signature and it was Inter who secured him on a half-season loan with the obligation to purchase this summer. Shaqiri rapidly fell out of coach Roberto Mancini's plans, however, and he completed a month-long gestated move to Premier League side Stoke City on August 11 for a club record fee of £12m. Degen thinks the 23-year-old is better than midtable Premier League football and lays the blame for his international colleague playing at the Britannia Stadium at the feet of his brother and agent, Erdin Shaqiri. "Xherdan joined a club in the middle of nowhere in England and is the fault of his brother," the Basel right-back, 32, toldNordwestschweiz. "He knows as much about football as I know about tap dancing. He's an amateur who has suddenly changed to this industry and is improvising as he goes. His chronic inability harms to Xherdan." Shaqiri started for Stoke on Saturday as they lost 1-0 at home to West Brom, leaving the Potters 17th in the Premier League standings midway through matchday four.