China’s transfer standards slipping already with Chelsea outcast
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The Chinese Super League has caused a stir with their recent rampage into the world’s transfer market, but it seems the standards are slipping already after a headline-grabbing start.
Players like Paulinho, Jackson Martinez, Gervinho, Ramires and Alex Teixera have all left spots on a variety of Champions League and Europa League outfits to move to China for mega bucks.
It’s not just the footballers that are flocking east, as Luiz Felipe Scolari and Sven-Goran Eriksson are two household managerial names that will be stalking the sidelines of Chinese Super League clubs.
All good things must come to an end though and while the morning’s gossip pages continued to link Premier League players to surprise Chinese switches, the names are far less glamourous.
The biggest of them is Loic Remy, who continues to operate on the periphery of the Chelsea squad and was heavily linked with a move away from the club during the January transfer window.
With the Chinese Super League’s own window still yet to close, the Mirror believe Shanghai Shenhua could offer the Frenchman an escape route for the princely sum of £11m.
Although many would argue that the striker, who has seven goals in 31 caps for his country, is of equal status to many of the foreign imports already in China, the same cannot be said of the country’s other two rumoured targets.
The first is Crystal Palace club captain Mile Jedinak, who the Mirror suggest is wanted by Chinese Super League clubs, but fail to name any.
At 31 years old and with just 15 Premier League appearances to his name this season, the Australian could well be convinced to take one plump pay packet as a final hoorah.
Finally comes West Ham striker Nikica Jelavic, who probably has a right to be offended at the suggestion from the Daily Mail that he’s only good enough to secure a move to a Chinese second-division outfit.
Nevertheless, the Croatian would still warrant a £4m outlay in order for Beijing Renhe to secure his services, according to the paper.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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