Revealed: The New Rule That Is Making Chinese Clubs Sell And Loan Players This Transfer Window

Jan 17, 2017 at 11:50 PM

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Revealed: The New Rule That Is Making Chinese Clubs Sell And Loan Players This Transfer Window

The Chinese Super League has taken the world of football by a storm in the last couple of season with clubs from the Asian countries flaunting their fortunes, making insane bids from star players from Europe.

Over the last 3 transfer windows, Chinese Super League clubs have spent more than a £1bn on incoming transfers with most of the purchases on the high side.

They have time and again shown that finance is not a restraint in their transfer dealings and this January has been no different.

Clubs from the Far East have yet again been looking to add a few players to their squad and have made some enormous bids for star players across Europe but this season, they might be restricted in their transfer dealings.

According to the new rules, CSL outfits are now required to play no more than 3 non-Chinese players in one game. This rule has seen the clubs around the competition take immediate action to balance their squads.

A number of teams in the domestic competition in China are having innumerous star non-Chinese players who are currently established at their respective clubs but the rule change might see them let a few go to bring some balance and reduce the wage burden.

The axing has already started with former Chelsea star the first to be sent out of the China to reduce the number of players in the squad.

25-year old Gael Kakuta, who joined CSL outfit Hebei fortune a couple of seasons ago, has now been sent out on loan to La Liga side Real Betis till the end of the season to try and give him some game time and to push his wage burden onto the Spanish side.

The winger joined Chelsea back in 2007 but he was not able to impress the manager enough at the Bridge and was sold off to Spanish outfit Sevilla after making just 12 appearances for the Blues in his time at the English capital.

His time at Sevilla was also not productive and this saw him shipped off to Chinese outfit Hebei Fortune where former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, is fighting hard for glory.

However, he is now back in La Liga with Deportivo la Coruna, where he is not loan till the end of the season.

The new rules in the CSL allow just 3 European players to be fielded in a game from the new season starting soon and most clubs in the country are now scampering to let their players leave before the deadline day.

Hebei Fortune, Kakuta’s parent club, still has the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gervinho, Stephane Mbia, Aloisio and Ersan Gulum in their side and Pellegrini will hope that he can use them thoroughly to get him to glory.

Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, who now manages Shanghai SIPG, has recently criticized the decision to restrict European players in the first team and felt that it was a decision that should have been made long ago.

‘This decision should have been made after the season, or with a certain buffer. ‘Such a huge change shouldn’t be announced about a month before the new season.’ ’ Villas-Boas told the South China Morning Post

‘Most of the clubs’ team building plans have been in accordance with the previous rules. That’s when everyone gets caught off guard,” he added.

Not many managers are happy about this new rule and it will be interesting to see if that changes the way the CSL clubs have been spending their money in the transfer windows.

Do you think the new rule in the CSL makes sense?

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