Near the last moment of the transfer window, Zhejiang Football Club finally ushered in the Serbian foreign aid Jurjić's joining, so that the team's foreign aid quota is barely complete. In the first stage of the new season of the Chinese League, Jurjić and Mu Xiekui will fight side by side, together for the Zhejiang team.
The hardship behind the words "barely together" is something that only Wu Shao Koon, the vice president of Zhejiang Football Club's attraction program, knows only too well. He described the process of attracting reinforcements as "catching a late set", a phrase that has almost become his mantra for introducing the work of attracting reinforcements.
Preparations for the introduction of new foreign aiders began at the end of last year, and many foreign aiders were contacted, even a world-class player who had participated in the World Cup final in Russia threw us an olive branch, but the new foreign aiders have never been able to be put in place. Even those who have already signed the contract are unable to enter the country to join the team due to various reasons.
Coupled with the Zhejiang team this year to play the Chinese Super League or play the issue of the Chinese A has been pending, and even eventually appeared "shocking reversal", which makes the Zhejiang team's attraction course has become extremely difficult.
In fact, the salary limit policy as well as some foreign aid due to anti-epidemic measures can not enter the country, so that almost all of the Chinese Super League and the Chinese A clubs have experienced the dilemma of attracting reinforcements, just the Zhejiang team's situation is the most special, but also the most serious. Now, Zhejiang team is looking forward to make full use of the existing two foreign aiders in the first stage, "wait until the second transfer to make some adjustments, we already have a clear candidate, if necessary, we will continue to attract reinforcements to supplement the strength at that time."
Two reasons for Zhejiang's difficulties in attracting reinforcements this year
Wu Shao Koon has been in charge of the team's reinforcement work since he became the club's vice president in 2015. The player originated from him in the attraction of "stable, accurate, ruthless" known, often for the team to sign a very high cost-effective players, and even signed a number of free agent strong aid. But this year's attraction but let Wu Shao Kwan feel helpless.
"In the past, the process of bringing in players was very clear. Based on the problems identified by the team during the season, it starts to consider what positional players to bring in. Generally start contacting foreign aid from the end of the season, enter the stage of talking about details around Christmas, and by January 10th, the foreign aid will basically be in place." This is the rhythm of attracting reinforcements that Wu Shao Koon understands: "For the club, there will be a great deal of choice, and can finalize the foreign aid based on the wishes of the head coach, and then immediately fly to the country to meet with the team."
However, this year, due to the epidemic prevention work, many foreign aid can not fly to China, especially our league "foreign aid country" Brazil, and our clubs have a contract in the body of foreign aid are stranded there. Although the closing time of the transfer window of our league has been postponed again and again, but the world window closes at the end of February, our clubs will no longer be able to attract reinforcements from the European and American clubs, but only "internal exchanges", which has greatly increased the difficulty of attracting reinforcements.
"We later found that the foreign aiders who very much meet the club's requirements in terms of position and ability and who are in our country domestically, almost none of them are available, so we can only make some compromises to see if we can find a few more suitable foreign aiders if we can't fully meet the requirements." Wu Shaokun said.
But this moment, people in our country's foreign aid's agent, just sit on the ground to raise the price of foreign aid to a ridiculously high, which has been rational investment in the Zhejiang team has hesitation.
In hindsight, this hesitation has "helped the Zhejiang team". Previously rumors of Zhejiang team is expected to pass the news of the Chinese Super League, Zhejiang Football Club positive response, but also in accordance with the requirements of the Chinese Super League to prepare for the league, then plans to sign at least four foreign aid before the season. There are several domestic foreign aid has been close to the Zhejiang team, but the agent of the foreign aid at the same time in contact with other clubs, hoping to use this to raise the price. Just in the hesitation, the CFA announced the access list for the new season, the final Zhejiang team did not manage to pass into the Super League, if the Zhejiang team signed these foreign aid, the number of foreign aid will be more than the standard of the club in the middle of the first, it will be a waste of money.
"In fact, there has been no confirmation of whether to play the Chinese Super League or the Chinese League, which does increase the difficulty of preparation. This is because the Chinese Super League and the Chinese League One are vastly different, both in terms of investment and reinforcements. It was not until the final announcement of the access list that our hearts were set." A club staff member said. Since then, Zhejiang's foreign aid introduction has only begun to follow the requirements and salary standards of the Central League.
Ended up missing out on Lok Kok Fu and Preciado
"If it wasn't for the influence of various factors, the foreigners we brought in this year would certainly be the strongest in the Central League, and even if we put them in the Chinese Super League, they would be ranked in the middle and upper echelon." Wu Shaokun said.
In fact, in the process of attracting reinforcements, a world-class superstar who had participated in the World Cup final in Russia also threw us an olive branch. On the one hand, this star knows that the salary offered by our league is very high, on the other hand, he loves our culture and wants to come to our country to try the water. Since this superstar is now a mainstay of a luxury salon, and has had outstanding performances in the recent league and Champions League, once he comes to play in our country, he will surely cause a sensation.
But because our league has now adopted a salary limit policy, but also due to the epidemic prevention system to enter the country's difficulties, and finally the star and the Zhejiang team "pass by".
In addition to this star, Zhejiang almost signed two other players who are now playing their main roles in Europe's top five leagues, but ultimately missed out due to their inability to enter our country.
After the confirmation of playing in the Central League, Zhejiang once again accelerated the pace of attracting reinforcements. Zhejiang team and several in the domestic foreign aid further contact, which went to the nearest is the Guangzhou team Luo Guofu (naturalized players play in the first league is still counted as foreign aid) and Shenzhen team's Preciado. A few days ago, Wu Shao Kwan flew to Guangzhou and Shenzhen one after another to discuss with the clubs and the players themselves, Wu Shao Kwan said with a smile, "I've been to Guangzhou and Shenzhen before, but not as intensively as this time, and now I'm even familiar with the maps of these two cities, and I've figured out which district is next to which district." As a result, both clubs agreed to release the player, but Luo Guofu was not willing to play in the Central League, and Preciado had to return to his home country due to family reasons, so both missed out on joining Zhejiang.
Eventually Zhejiang team chose Jurjić, what impressed Zhejiang team is his attitude. Wu Shao Kwan said: "Jurjić's fame is not big, and his previous experience in our country is not much, but he has a very good attitude towards soccer. I asked him if he would be willing to accept if he was asked to play as a substitute, and Djurdjic said he would accept any arrangement, and then trained hard waiting for his time to play. After this negotiation with some foreign aiders, I found that these famous foreign aiders no longer have the desire about winning, they think it is very easy to play football in our country and earn money, so they are less willing to work hard. And this year's Super League, Zhejiang team needs every player to fight the opponent, Jurjić is likely to bring us a surprise."
After signing Djurdjic, Wu Shao Koon also finally breathed a sigh of relief: "This year's attraction started from the end of last year and was not finished until April, due to the time difference, I had to contact with Europe late at night, and many times I slept only 3 or 4 hours a day, which was really torturous."
