The big waste in Chinese football is over. Or at least, this season of course there is an ostensible break in terms of signings of the Chinese Super League. Specifically, spending in this course has remained at 19.31 million euros, a figure that is the lowest in the championship since the 2009/10 season, when it was 2.68. Since then, always above 20 ‘kilos’.
We are talking about a figure that is very far from the expenses from 2014 to 2019. In the 2014/15 season the barrier of 100 million euros was passed for the first time, and in 2016/17 the record was reached when it reached the 403’49. It was the course in which great stars such as Oscar Y Hulk, signed by the Shanghai SIPG coming from Chelsea and the Zenit respectively in exchange for 60 and 55 ‘kilos’, and today the most expensive transfers in Chinese football.
The record of expenditure, in the 2016/17 season, with more than 400 million euros in transfers
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A year earlier, in the 2015/16 season in which a total of 347’91 ‘kilos’ were spent, the one that still occupies the third drawer of the podium of the largest expenses landed there. Was Alex Teixeira, which changed the Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian for the JS Suning at a rate of 50 million euros. Curiously, he has just been released after leaving the discipline of that team.
As for the rest of the ‘Top10’ of more expensive signings, they complete it Paulinho (42, from Barça to Guangzhou Evergrande), the already retired Jackson Martinez (42, from Atlético de Madrid to Guangzhou Evergrande), Cedric Bakambu (40, from Villarreal al Beijing Sinobo Guoan), Yannick Carrasco (30, from Atlético to Dalian Pro), Anthony Modeste (29, del Colonia al Tianjin Tianhai), Ramires (28, from Chelsea to JS Suning) and Marko Arnautovic (25, from West Ham to Shanghai SIPG). In fact, the Austrian is the last great signing of Chinese football, having occurred in the 2019/20 season.
With regard to this 2020/21 academic year, the largest expenditure is that made by the Shenzhen FC of Jordi Cruyff when paying 9 million euros to River Plate to obtain the services of the Colombian midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero.
The economic restrictions imposed by the Chinese government in addition to the crisis itself caused by the coronavirus are undoubtedly worth explaining the change in dynamics compared to previous years. COVID is affecting the soccer transfer market worldwide and the Chinese have not been oblivious to it. The question lies in whether or not we will see waste like those of 2014 and 2015.
2020/21: 19.31 million euros
More expensive transfers: Quintero (9, de River Plate al Shenzhen FC)
2019/20: 58’8
Arnautovic (25, from West Ham at Shanghai SIPG)
2018/19: 219’7
Paulinho (42, from Barça to Guangzhou Evergrande)
2017/18: 161’49
Bakambu (40, from Villarreal al Beijing Sinobo Guoan)
2016/17: 403’49 (record)
Oscar (60, from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG)
2015/16 347’91
Alex Teixeira (50, del Shakhtar al JS Suning)
2014/15: 119’13
Goulart (15, from Cruzeiro to Guangzhoy Evergrande)
2013/14: 72’19
Vágner Love (12, from CSKA Moscow to SD Luneng)
2012/13: 40’21
Lucas Barrios (8’5, from Dortmund to Guangzhou Evergrande)
2011/12: 34’52
Dario Conca (8’2, from Fluminense to Guangzhou Evergrande)
2010/11: 20’08
Cleo (4, from Partizan to Guangzhou Evergrande)
2009/10: 2’68
Lin Gao (0’9, del Shanghai Shenhua al Guangzhou Evergrande)
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