Bayern signs Swiss starlet Shaqiri from Basel

Soccer Betting Lines

02/09/2012 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich acquired Switzerland starlet Xherdan Shaqiri from Basel on Thursday and signed him to a four-year contract.

The 20-year-old Shaqiri will join Bayern this summer on a contract through the 2015-16 season. He debuted for Basel in 2009, and helped lead the squad to the last 16 of the Champions League this season, where it will face Bayern.

"Xherdan's intelligent play and dribbling skill will add to our team's strength next season," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said. "I've been observing him for a while now, and I'm convinced he can become a very important player for FC Bayern."

Shaqiri debuted for Switzerland and has played 17 times and scored four goals. Although the transfer fee was not officially announced, various reports have put the number at around $15 million.

After leading Basel through the group stage of the Champions League with a win over Manchester United, Shaqiri was coveted by most of Europe's top clubs.

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Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

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Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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