This window is going to be new territory for many a football fan, as all the big names in the world are now up for grabs. Thanks to TV revenues and lucrative business men taking interest in clubs. Now the main factor in money being branded about for your average players is the pull and lure of a easy paid life in China, this league can offer you all the riches with the most minimal of effort. As an average man I can only dream of such a job, so let's not forget a lot of these footballers in the not so distant past, were average boys or men who lived a normal, simple life. Now they've been given a opportunity to ensure every member of their family is considered wealthy by simply playing a couple of seasons in China, and I don't blame them. They're being offered the money, they're not asking for it. So the blame lies at the Chinese FA and the government's feet because this is a plan of theirs to boost the National team by making the league a better one to play in the hope of wining some sort of trophy by the year 2025. That's ambitious but, it's also a slippery slope that may not give you the desired ending.
I genuinely believe in the next 31 days we'll see the £100 million plus player, I'd like to state whom I think it might be, and I have no doubt that it will be to a Chinese club.
The first one and one I'm most confident about is Pierre Emerik Aubemeyang, and I don't think it'll be a fee that creeps over £100 million I think it'll be an easy £130 million if not more. This is a man who scores for fun, runs for fun and has ambitions of playing for Real Madrid, but I know a lot of African players understand their careers are short, their family's have endured hardship because of Africa as a continent being a less prosperous and less wealthy place to live than else where in the world, so for him to take up the sizeable wages on offer I would have no qualms with.
Moving on to Neymar Jr. This is a player I can see being tempted by the Chinese league also. He could go there, make his fortune and come back to Europe to play at a top level again if he wished due to his age. We forget this young man isn't even in his prime yet, so how much do I think Neymar would set a club back? Around £200 million easily but then I think the only party who won't be willing to negotiate is Barcelona. They don't ever need to sell, so why should they? I think Neymar will feel he's still in Messi's shadow and even Suarez's, and I think he's still going to be behind Messi for at least another 4 to 5 years so why not move to China become the golden boy for Chinese football? He just needs to take extra care after his last transfer turned into a court case!
Edinson Cavani is a talented Uruguayan who had the world at his feet 3 years ago. Any club would take him and it was the choosing of one of the richest clubs in Europe to take him; PSG. Since his move he was the backup to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which is nothing to be ashamed about, but he kept plugging away playing well in a unfamiliar role on the right but now this season got his chance to be the main man up top and can't stop scoring. The rest of the team around him are struggling and their league standings reflect that, but a return of 71 goals from 114 appearances is a fantastic effort from a player deemed second choice for 3 years. Cavani could be a player tempted to play in China. He's South American which also I feel players from their have the mentality of having more money is a better thing and don't place their careers or prospects of silverware ahead of their finance. I can see a few clubs sniffing round him, but I can also see PSG expecting from a European club to at least pay £60 million to recoup most of what was paid for him. An offer from the Chinese league for him could be in excess of £140 million and I can see us saying goodbye to another talent from the European radar.
I think the 2017 January transfer window is one clubs all around the world should be wary of. All player's prices are inflated, the market isn't even and no clubs star man is safe now with the waving of wads of cash coming from practically every Chinese team. A contract means little now, only how many 0's are on the end of it. I only hope the Chinese spree comes to an end and doesn't make the economy of football blow up and crash, because we've seen how fragile the market is just from the last window. Every club knew English teams had more money from TV rights so every player destined for a Premier League move gained a substantial rise in their price and wage packet.
Let's hope China's domination is short lived and we see some players who've made the move trudge back to Europe in search for a challenge a good game of football and for a career, rather than heaps of dosh on offer.
I'll finish by saying that I'd love to hear other people's cries on who they think could be the £100 million player! Please leave some comments below!
Ryan Coxon
