Evergrande in record Martinez deal
Print Edition
CHINA’S most successful club Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao announced a record signing deal for Atletico Madrid’s Colombian striker Jackson Martinez on a day when the club was fined by AFC for secretly filming its opponent’s training session before the Asian Champions League final.
Evergrande paid a Chinese record fee of 42 million euros (US$46 million) to Atletico to sign up Martinez for four years. He will fill in for the hugely popular and successful Brazilian striker Elkeson, who left to join Shanghai SIPG.
The 29-year-old Colombian international has struggled with the La Liga side since joining them last summer, managing only two goals in 15 league appearances. He was the latest signing by the big spending Chinese clubs, who have now splashed out over 233.6 million euros on foreign players during the transfer window which closes on February 26.
Martinez, who was given the No. 9 jersey, will fly to Dubai next Tuesday to join his new teammates for the winter training, the club said in a statement. The CSL season kicks off next month.
“Martinez is the kind of striker modern soccer needs. He can fire the team to a new level,” Evergrande said in the statement. “He is a goal poacher and a fox in the box; a world class player with perfect technique, experience and ability.”
The Asian champion said it was looking at foreign players, who were either big stars or had a flamboyant style, to raise the club’s profile internationally, while also delivering results on the pitch.
“The moment has arrived to start a new stage in my career,” Martinez told Atletico’s website. “The club and I have spoken in the last few days and we agreed this is the best thing for everyone.”
Evergrande sold the two-time CSL top scorer Elkeson to Shanghai SIPG for 18.5 million euros last month. Guangzhou made a neat profit on the transfer, having signed the Brazilian three years ago for just 5.7 million euros.
The Chinese clubs are of the opinion that big-money spending was the most only way to lure foreign talents, still in their prime, to China.
Last month, another Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning signed Brazilian midfielder Ramirez from Chelsea for 28 million euros, a record signing till yesterday.
Local CSL outfit Shanghai Greenland Shenhua is still in the market to add more firepower after securing Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin from Inter Milan last week. Shenhua shelled out 11 million euros, with add-ons, to clinch the deal.
Club vice president Zhou Jun confirmed rumors that the club was in touch with former Manchester United winger Nani but the Portuguese international and his current club Fenerbahce had rejected their offer of 15.2 million pounds (US$22 million).
Turkish media claimed that Nani’s wife was not happy with the decision, which would have earned him a weekly salary of 146,000 pounds.
The reports said Nani’s wife was unhappy with life in Turkey and had returned to Portugal with their children.
Zhou also said that Greenland Shenhua had approached PSG’s Argentine striker Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi but did not reveal any further details.
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