- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
In today’s football market one of the big things luring players might not be the lifestyle or quality of their surroundings, but more so the financial benefits that accompany their move.
This transfer window has seen what some might call a ‘sleeping giant’ enter the market, splashing big cash on big-name players.
The moves have certainly rocked the footballing world – yes, we are talking about the Chinese Super League.
On paper, seeing what the Chinese have done is quite impressive. They have achieved what many other developing leagues have only dreamed of doing and that is luring high-profile players and personnel into a league that isn’t well known or rated on an international scale.
Most recently, Guangzhou Evergrande spent a record €42 million for out-of-favour Colombian striker Jackson Martinez, with other big names such as Ramires, Paulinho and Demba Ba joining him in China.
Not only this, but the league has also acquired the services of some very well-known coaching personnel in World Cup-winning manager Luis Felipe Scolari as well as former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The line-up sure sounds impressive so far and with the transfer window not closing until February 26 in China, there could be many more to come.
Many questions remain unanswered. Will the signings improve the standard of the league? In addition and specifically relating to the A-League, does China become a viable destination for our homegrown stars as opposed to the second-tier European leagues?
Developing players may view China as a viable avenue with financial benefits, before heading out to the bigger leagues in Europe. Although for players that are yet to properly develop and achieve their full potential, is this the right move? I certainly don’t think so.
The type of signings made by these clubs suggests the owners are not looking towards the future in regards to making money. They are looking to grab the attention of the rest of the world.
Jiangsu Suning’s signing of Liverpool target Alex Teixeira has surely been received as a wake-up call as to the type of money that these owners have and are willing to splash around.
But is it silly to say that all these signings are purely based on the egos of the owners?
If China really wants to become a footballing powerhouse and be taken seriously then doing what they’re doing isn’t going to get them anywhere, as far as developing their own talent national team is concerned.
Unlike the A-League, it does not seem that the Chinese administrators want to spend as much time developing players. This is why young Australian players should not be tempted by a move to China, despite the world-class players that they may be playing alongside.
Instead, they should be earning their stripes in the A-League before a potential move to a European league where they are exposed to a higher standard. Europe also has some of the best-known academies in the world that are able to guide players through the system, as seen with Tom Rogic at Celtic.
Refusing a big money move to a Chinese club may have been the best decision Socceroo Tomi Juric ever made. Juric turned down a $10 million deal from Shanghai Shenhua and instead signed with Roda JC in the Dutch league.
Juric has been quite impressive in the Netherlands, scoring four goals in nine appearances.
If Juric had been lured by the money in the Chinese Super League, there’s a chance where if he hadn’t scored regularly he would’ve been forced to return to the A-League, making a move to Europe difficult.
It is crucial that if we want to see our players succeed that they are not enticed by big money in a league that will most likely do little in terms of development.
We all want to see our Aussie boys succeed and achieve their full potential, but doing this in a league where only money talks is not the way to do it.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.