In the 2018 season, despite TEDA's heavy investment, it was only at the doorstep that they survived relegation and ended up in 14th place in the league, not even as good as 13th place in 2017. However, Dong Wensheng, who is the decision-maker, is still inclined to extend the contract with the old manager.
In 2019, on the recommendation of Strikers, TEDA spent about 5 million euros to bring in center forward Wagner, and the two sides signed a two-year contract with an annual salary of up to 7.5 million euros. However, more than a year later, Strikers gradually lost control of the locker room, and the use of several foreign aiders is also inclined to their own introduction of candidates. Achimpen was even relegated to the fringes during the winter training phase at the beginning of the 2018 season.
Over the years, Dong Wensheng has been deeply involved in TEDA's decision-making on foreign aid, foreign coaching contract renewals and retention issues, which is the main reason why he is now being questioned.
Mikel was reportedly signed in 2017, when TEDA signed a three-year deal with him. According to media reports, Mikel's weekly salary is as high as 140,000 pounds, and his annual salary is about 63.3 million yuan, making him the most highly paid player in TEDA's history. However, compared to the high annual salary, the Chelsea star's performance at TEDA was mediocre, facing the same competitive pressure as Goodyear, who joined at the same time. He then terminated his contract with Taida early in 2019 before it had expired and moved to Middlesbrough as a free agent.
So many high-priced foreign aid, for Tianjin Teda, almost all became a passer-by. Including the late Wagner, but also in the case of the contract in the body, their own proposed termination of the original retirement, refused to return to China to participate in the league. In response, the club's management was unable to do anything about it, and even promised to make up for Wagner's remaining salary. These strange operations, let TEDA's real money hit the water.
Over the years, probably with the exception of Archie Mbeng, few foreign players have managed to leave a perfect impression in the minds of TEDA fans. It's not just about spending money, but crucially about spending huge sums of money but failing to bring substantial improvement to the team. Whether or not there is a transfer of benefits in this will perhaps be the focus of an audit as TEDA withdraws from the club's management, and will also be a breakthrough for Dong Wensheng's investigation.
