February 3 – China may be attempting to put the brakes on the spending of huge fees for foreign players, but there is no slow down in their domestic focus on specialist football programmes to train a generation that can compete on the world stage.
February 1- Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo has become the latest high-profile export to the Chinese Super League after joining Changchun Yatai for £20 million from English Premier league club Watford.
By Paul Nicholson
January 27 – The timing could not have been better. Just as Southampton were celebrating their EFL Cup semi-final win over Liverpool, so Chinese stadium constructors turned would-be club owners Lander Sports Development, were announcing to the financial markets that they had agreed a deal for the English south coast club.
January 20 – The Chinese FA is set introduce a €30 million transfer cap on foreign players as part of an 18-point plan designed to take some of the overheating out of a Chinese soccer market where money seems to have become no object.
January 20 – Long-time Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, one of the most knowledgeable coaches of global footballing trends, says top-flight players should opt for playing a better standard rather than automatically take the money by moving to China.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 18 – Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has resisted the temptation to become the latest big-name international to be lured by China’s riches amid a mixed response to the country’s decision to tighten the rules over the number of overseas players permitted per club.
By Paul Nicholson
January 16 – After a number of government warnings, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has confirmed that it is stepping in to end the gravy train of European-based players’ big money transfers to Chinese Super League clubs.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – In an unprecedented move that could prove a watershed moment and potentially change the face of football’s global transfer landscape, Chinese authorities have rebuked the country’s leading clubs for “burning money” in the relentless race to enlist top foreign stars to the detriment of local talent.
December 29 – Argentine striker Carlos Tevez has become the latest international star to head for China after signing for Shanghai Shenhua from his boyhood club Boca Juniors.
December 28 – China has decided to cut the permitted quota of overseas players in domestic teams from five to four in an effort to slow down the escalating demand for expensive foreign stars to the detriment of the development of local talent.
December 14 – The completion of the sale of AC Milan to an investment group led by Chinese investors Haixa Capital and Yonghong Li, has been put back until March 2017. Originally due to complete yesterday (December 13), the new date reflects the difficulty the Chinese have had receiving Chinese government approvals to release the money.
December 6 – FC Barcelona is taking its academy blueprint to China and is backing the build of a facility at the world’s biggest golf resort, Mission Hills, on China’s Hainan Island, near Hong Kong.
December 5 – Completion of the sale of Serie A side AC Milan by Silvio Berlusconi to the Chinese investors now looks certain not to be completed on December 13, and could be pushed back to the end of February 2017 as the Chinese investors wait for government authorisation for the release of their money.
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – German and Chinese governments have signed the equivalent of a football trade deal – the first of its kind between two governments – China’s vice-premier Liu Yandong and German chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel signed the partnership which will run for an initial five years.
November 24 – AC Milan’s long awaited sale to new Chinese investors is now scheduled to complete December 13, but there seem to be some doubts on whether the sale will complete following remarks made by owner Silvio Berlusconi.