So did Shaqiri always dream of living in Stoke? Ravenelli always dreamed of living in Middlesbrough? (which is a right eyesore, I've been there)
No, it was money. If Shaqiri had the exact same offer from a club in London, he wouldn't have chose Stoke.
That was my original point, I just worded it badly.
But for all you know Shaquiris Mum might be an avid collector of Denby pottery and being in that neck of the woods fulfilled a childhood dream to buy his old dear the best tea pot that money can buy.
I don’t think anyone in their right mind would ever dream of living in Stoke - but again that is very much an individual thing.
Location is possibly irrelevant for some but could also be important to others.
Allegedly it is not always about the money as we often hear of players taking a pay cut or taking a lesser offer in terms of money for wanting to be in a particular place/team or working with particular personalities such as managers or fellow players to learn from or play alongside.
There are lots of different factors that could be a consideration for different individuals, so probably dodgy ground to stereotype or make sweeping statements of what you perceive to be key factors.
The bottom line is we simply do not know!