For years China has been positioning themselves as the next great world power. Economically, they’ve been the world’s largest exporter for the better portion of the last decade. They are also the biggest inter-nation trader in the world. Their academic system is one of the world’s finest. China boasts the globe’s largest active military. Those conquests are all well and good, but this isn’t a political blog. Our cause for concern with the world’s most populous nation is their infusion of money into their football league. The Chinese Super League is now flush with cash and they are coming after Europe’s stars.
From the incarnation of the Super League in 2004, the Chinese have tried to position themselves as prime time players in the Asian Football Confederation. While China has excelled in other sports, they have found themselves as a second tier nation in terms of football. Japan, South Korea, and Australia have maintained their place as the cream of the crop internationally in the region. They have also built respective reputations as quality leagues for club talent as well. China has struggled to do both in recent years.
Similarly to the struggles that USA’s MLS did, and in some instances still do, face, China was viewed as a retirement home for over the hill superstars of Europe and South America. It was a place to make a quick buck against lesser competition. It gave players like Didier Drogba (who would later do the same in MLS) and Nicolas Anelka a chance to sell their individual brand to an untapped football market.
They continued along over the next couple years accumulating castoffs from Europe’s biggest clubs. It eventually became more than players too as well-known, and accomplished, managers were giving into the temptation of the Red Dragon. A slew of Brazilians made their way to Guangzhou Evergrande. Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, brought Robinho and Paulinho with him to the Super League. While Robinho flamed out, Paulinho’s success was the sign of China reaching a tipping point in recruitment.
The current transfer window has shown that China is taking their game to an 11. It all started when seemingly out of nowhere Ramires was on his way to China to pen for Jiangsu Suning. A record fee of what is believed to be around £25m was agreed. At 28, Ramires has just won the Premier League with Chelsea and is still a regular in the Brazil national team. He cost twice as much as Paulinho did the year before proving that China was no longer looking for cost effective options. That would become more evident as the month wore on.
More shots would be fired across Europe’s bow by Chinese Super League teams. Ivorian international Gervinho left guaranteed European football at Roma for triple the wages with the aptly named Hebei China Fortune. He was joined there by Cameroon defender Stephane Mbia, who had won the Europa League with Sevilla just a year ago. Shanghai Greenland Shenhua acquired Fredy Guarin from Inter to link up with Premier League veteran Demba Ba. But the biggest bang came when Jackson Martinez, who had just signed with Atletico Madrid from Porto in the summer, broke the week old transfer record by inking with Guangzhou. The £31m fee allowed Atletico to actually make a profit on their disappointing striker. But still, yes still, the Chinese weren’t done ruffling the feathers of Europe’s elite.
There has been an obvious link between Chelsea and the far east throughout this building up period. From Scolari to Ba to Ramires to Martinez (a Chelsea target) to even Gael Kakuta, the London outfit has been on China’s radar for some time. It should have come as little surprise then that Alex Teixeira was on said radar as well. Teixeira was a Chelsea target at the beginning of the January transfer window. The 26 year old Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder led the Ukranian Premier League in scoring at their winter break and was highly coveted by clubs all across Europe. Though Chelsea’s interest waned, another English club, Liverpool, heated theirs up. The Merseysiders had bids rejected by Shakhtar as the Ukrainians held out for more money in a fee. Liverpool expected to get a second chance in the summer, but then Chinese side Jiangsu Suning, the club that began the winter spending spree, swooped in. They spent £38.8m to pair him with Ramires in their midfield as they look to improve off their ninth place finish in 2015. It once again broke the transfer record for the second time in under two weeks.
And by no means is China done. They are especially not done with Chelsea. Their transfer window closes on February 26th and there are plenty of high profile players still linked to a move to the CSL. Loic Remy, another Chelsea player, is set to go after Chelsea’s matches in the Champions League with PSG and FA Cup with Manchester City. On the flip side of that matchup, PSG winger (and Chelsea summer hopeful) Ezequiel Lavezzi is reportedly off to Shanghai Shenhua after the first leg. Chelsea midfielder Oscar was a rumored subject of a £57.7m bid by Jiangsu that the Blues rejected. Fernando Torres, a player of infamy in Chelsea circles, could end up accepting one of three offers from Chinese clubs by the end of February as well.
Manchester City’s Yaya Toure may get a king’s ransom. Barcelona’s Dani Alves may get his pick of clubs. Nikica Jelavic could get the starting gig he feels entitled too. China has given players a bargaining chip they’ve never had before. With the infusion of television money coming into England and the offers continuing to pile up from China, this summer may be even crazier than the winter. China’s coming for our stars, and like with everything else they’ve striven for in the past decade, they’ll probably get them.