Big spending China a major shift in transfer market

The powerbrokers of Asian football have long claimed that the sport’s future rests in Asia, and given the recent spending boom by Chinese clubs, that future appears closer than even they dared predict.

Chinese Super League clubs have splashed out close to $300 million in the winter transfer window — which closes Friday – on big names from Europe and South America such as Ramires, Alex Teixeira, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jackson Martinez and Gervinho.

Karish Andrews, a sports law expert at London law firm Lewis Silkin, believes talk of a power shift to Asia is premature but said China is now a major player in the transfer market.

“The money being paid for transfer fees and wages has raised eyebrows among the top clubs in Europe and players they expected to keep are now moving away,” said Andrews, citing Jiangsu Suning’s recent purchase of Ramires for around $31 million.

Japan’s J-League was previously the wealthiest in the region, attracting foreign players and coaches, and the leagues in the Gulf had the finances to attract big names.

In Europe too, there are benefits in the Chinese spending even if there is fear that it could drive player wages up.

“This means these players will come back as better players and also it should encourage other young players to follow a career in football.

“If you dare to spend money on the sport of football, it’s even more important that you know best how to spend that money,” the paper warned in a recent editorial.

“While probably unsustainable, the acquisition of star foreign players was a great way to generate excitement around the game, attract more enthusiasts and hopefully future Chinese players,” Beijing Guo’an fan Hu Dong said.