New Wanda-owned club show great ambitions in Chinese league
Chinese Super League (CSL) new boys Dalian Yifang FC dropped a bombshell on the global soccer transfer market on Tuesday by announcing the signing of Yannick Carrasco and Nico Gaitan from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.
Carassco cost 30 million -euros ($37 million) and Gaitan 18 million euros for the club that last season won promotion back to the Chinese top flight as League One champions.
Belgium winger Carrasco began his career and made his name with AS Monaco, winning the French Ligue 2 title with the club in his first season and finished runner-up in the top-flight Ligue 1 the following season.
He joined Atletico in the summer of 2015 for 20 million euros, and gradually became a top name in European soccer, scoring the equalizer against Real Madrid in the 2016 European Champions League final before they lost in the shootout.
He played a total of 124 games for Atletico, scoring 23 times with 17 assists. His name had been linked with elite European clubs such as Barcelona and Chelsea.
The 24-year-old has made 22 appearances for his country, scoring five times.
Argentine Gaitan, who can play as an attacking midfielder or winger, had been frequently linked with clubs like Manchester United when he played for Portuguese club Benfica from 2010 to 2016.
He played 253 games for Benfica, scoring 41 goals and assisting 88. He led the club to three Portuguese top-flight titles and five League Cup trophies. He joined Atletico in July 2016 for 25 million euros, making 36 appearances in his first season.
The 30-year-old fell behind in coach Diego Simeone's pecking order this season, playing 13 times.
Gaitan debuted for Argentina in 2009, winning 16 national caps.
Yifang also signed from Premier League club West Ham United the Portuguese -defender Jose Fonte. Fonte, 34, played a vital part in Portugal's defense on their journey to -winning Euro 2016 in France.
Dalian Wanda Group bought a controlling stake in the Dalian club earlier last week, marking the conglomerate's return to club ownership in Chinese -soccer.
The group owned a team in the Chinese league in the 1990s, when Dalian Wanda FC won four top-flight titles from 1994 to 1999. Wanda sold the club to Dalian Shide Group in 1999. The club continued to be one of the best in Asia and won another four league titles before being disbanded in 2012.
In 2015, Wanda bought a 20 percent stake in Atletico for 45 million euros, but they sold 17 percent to Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer earlier this month.
It remains a sponsor of the club and still holds naming rights to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, which replaced the Vicente Calderon as Atletico's home venue as of this season.
Dalian fans are thrilled to see big-name signings and are optimistic about the future of Dalian soccer.
"Dalian fans have been depressed for many years, and now finally comes the time for us!" a fan posted at Dongqiudi, one of the most popular soccer sites in the country.
"Just a few big-name players may not bring the club to the top of Chinese soccer, but at least we see hope."
