Former Chelsea FC Striker Signs With Shanghai Shenhua
What is it with Shanghai Shenhua and signing former Chelsea FC strikers? Just a few years after signing both Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in 2012, the Chinese giants added another in Demba Ba. The 30 year old Ba spent last season at Turkish club Besiktas after spending a season and a half at Chelsea.
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The move comes as a shock considering Ba’s relatively young age and the fact that he was still banging in goals with ease at a high level club and league. Most players of his quality see the Chinese league as a nice place to retire and earn a fat paycheck while playing in a not very competitive atmosphere.
Drogba was 34 when he joined Shenhu and Anelka was 33. The Ivorian has since come back to the more competitive leagues with stints in Turkey and a return to England but Anelka has been a footballing nomad with stints in India and a failed move to Algeria.
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As for Ba, he leaves Turkey with an outstanding goalscoring record and there is little to suggest that he could not repeat that performance next season. Ba had 27 goals in 44 appearances with 18 in the league and another 8 in 12 appearances in the UEFA Europa League. Besiktas finished a respectable third in the league and had a notable run in Europe, eliminating Premier League club Liverpool along the way in a dramatic penalty shootout.
So why would a striker, playing in a competitive league where he is dominating the competition, move to relative obscurity in China? The only reason that makes any sort of sense is for the substantial financial rewards. His club Besiktas also made a handsome profit as they sold Ba for £11.3m just a year after paying Chelsea FC around £6.5m for the striker.
The more shocking figure is not the transfer fee but is the salary Ba will collect from Shenhua. The club’s president hinted that he would be the most expensive player to ever sign in the Chinese league and he is reportedly set to earn a cool £35.3m in just three years. Some reports claim that Ba will “only” earn £5-6m per year but regardless that is an excellent chunk of money to end your career with.
Ba was a beloved figure at Stamford Bridge for his positive attitude and his penchant for scoring spectacular goals. He also scored the most memorable goal of the 2013-14 campaign with the winner against PSG in the Champions League. He will be joining former Everton and Australia midfielder Tim Cahill at Shenhua as the pair will look to improve on last season’s 9th place finish.
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