Let's talk about China

Claudius

When the Oscar move was first rumoured, I assumed that it was some complicated financial engineering by Abramovich to help Cheslea meet financial fairplay levels after a tough accounting year for his team. And then Witsel and Tevez happened at mindblowing wages for both, and it became clear that this was something more serious.

So far, China has Tevez, Witsel, Oscar, Lavezzi, Gervinho, Jackson Martinez, Paulinho, Ramires, Demba Ba, Asamoah Gyan, Tim Cahill, and Alex Teixeira amongst others. It's a better haul than Major League Soccer and the most star power outside France-England-Spain-Germany-Italy

So what do you guys think will happen with China? Do you think it represents a credible threat to teams like Arsenal? Will it have an impact on Financial FairPlay and/or European Super League?

goon

I don't think it means anything in the long term, they're just trying to raise the profile of the league and their sides within China. In the short terms you'll probably end up with with one or two surprise moves.

Daz

Minor correction. Timmy C is now at Melbourne City.

Claudius

Thanks

Rumours that Shanghai, the same team that took Oscar and Hulk, is interested in making a 150m Euro bid for Aubameyang, and a 41million euro salary, around, 700,000 pounds a week. If Aubameyang goes, then the conversation about China definitely changes. It no longer becomes a marginal curiosity for over-the-hill mercenaries. It becomes a real threat to Europe and FFP. A billionaire-backed European Super League might be forced on us within 4-5 years or as TV contracts permit

Clrnc

They have already started signing prime players. Beaten Juve to Witsel's signature and Oscar is hardly over the hill. Mikel has also reportedly rejected Valencia for a newly promoted Chinese team.

Claudius

But they're not the superstars a Real Madrid or Manchester United would unveil as a marquee signing. That's what no league outside Western Europe has achieved. Even Eto'o was in decline when he went to Russia, and Major League is just a retirement village.

I'm a big fan of FFP by the way. Whenever people complain that footballers earn too much money, with FFP it's easy to say that if the players didn't take the money, then Kroenke or Roman would just pocket it. They're earning with a sustainable economic framework. What China is doing, however, is completely nuts. None of these deals will ever yield a financial return to the club, as the clubs probably make less money than some of these individual player annual salaries. It's obscene and makes early Abramovich Chelsea or mid 90s Serie A look like a joke.

marv3llous

Really? I thought the whole point was, that since China is such a huge market, the clubs easily make back what they spend via commercial revenues the player creates, thus making such transfers viable for them.

Gurgen

I doubt they are viable. Chinese fans usually support Western teams. Their league is one of the most corrupt in the world and no-one takes it seriously, but president Xi has said that China must become a footballing superpower. I think these clubs are doing these deals so that their relatives don't mysteriously disappear.

Clrnc

You will be surprised how little they earn commercially and through TV deals. That league is supposed to have spending power lesser than that of Scotland in normal circumstances.

I know for a fact that there's something shady involved, and it's not surprising Abramovich is involved in 2 of these mega deals already. There are a lot of money in China that can't be used or seen with, but through football it becomes all good.

Coombs

Footballers have become like paintings. They're just ways of storing and obfuscating wealth.

lorddulaarsenal

Channel Four should get rights to air Chinese footy

Daz

I was thinking about this last night, and at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, I really don't know how long I can keep on maintaining an interest in high level professional footy. The corruption and rampart capitalism runs completely against my core beliefs. Seriously thinking about ditching all interest and just playing/watching local footy. Sigh.

Burnwinter

Just spitballing …

As the Chinese economy grows and the Chinese appetite for football grows with its more connected and highly educated middle class, the Chinese league will become stronger despite the lesser traditions in the country.

The best players will begin to follow the money over time, as they always have.

If China does gradually threaten European clubs, European dominance and the disposition of the enormous global TV receipts, that might actually trigger the evolution of a full time European super league in time. The branding of such a league would be so strong that it could permanently forestall the exit of money and players from Europe.

Daz

That's not making me feel any better Burnsy.

Burnwinter

Well if your problem is that money rules the game, it has done for decades now I guess. It's not really getting any worse in principle, the distribution of the money is just changing.

Hooray 🙂

goon

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jan/05/government-vows-put-brakes-on-chinese-clubs-burning-money?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

goon

People have been saying the European Super League is imminent since 1997. In reality it doesn't really make any commercial or practical sense.

Burnwinter

I'm not saying it's imminent of course.

My thoughts were that it might be more likely contingent on the gradual development over time of a domestic Chinese competition so strong that it was eating into the top-tier talent, global audiences and thereby the revenues of the biggest clubs in Europe.

To put it another way the current stagnant setup of the Champions League is already skewed to optimising the revenue of those clubs. That dynamic is probably more fundamental than the way the league(s) themselves are structured.

goon

I don't think we are anywhere close to something like that happening, probably not for a few decades.

Ether way, I don't think there's any appetite for a European Super League, more likely they'll just stick with their current path of adapting the CL to suit the money making big sides like with the recent changes for forthcoming seasons.

Gurgen

Burnwinter wrote:
Just spitballing …

As the Chinese economy grows and the Chinese appetite for football grows with its more connected and highly educated middle class, the Chinese league will become stronger despite the lesser traditions in the country.

The best players will begin to follow the money over time, as they always have.

If China does gradually threaten European clubs, European dominance and the disposition of the enormous global TV receipts, that might actually trigger the evolution of a full time European super league in time. The branding of such a league would be so strong that it could permanently forestall the exit of money and players from Europe.

I won't be serious league until they stop fixing matches though. I don't see that happening any time soon. European football has issues, but Chinese football is basically one big criminal organisation.