The Chinese Super League is gathering pace; the five biggest 2012 off-season transfers

The country's Super Cup is played on Saturday 25 February, whilst the much talked-about new domestic campaign begins on March 10; Goal.com has a look at the best recent deals

Feb 23, 2012 9:00:00 AM

More On : Chelsea FC, Grêmio, Guangzhou Evergrande, Jiangsu Sainty F.C., Levante UD, Shaanxi Baorong Chanba, Shanghai Shenhua, Nicolas Anelka

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ANALYSIS
By Dapeng Liang

The 2012 Chinese Super League (CSL) season has been the most talked about campaign in the competition's history and eagerly anticipated following a certain Chelsea striker's move to Shanghai Shenhua.

Indeed, there has been a host of stars linked with a transfer to the Asian country, as financial investment in playing squads increases in the Far East. Champions Guangzhou Evergrande set the standard last year and clubs like Zhu Jun's Shanghai lead the chasing pack.

Here are Goal.com's five biggest off-season player transfers involving Chinese Super League clubs.

NICOLAS ANELKA | Chelsea to Shanghai Shenhua

The 32-year-old French striker needs little introduction, after making global headlines in December when he decided to make the move from Chelsea to Shanghai Shenhua. There's no doubt, his transfer is the biggest in Chinese football history, easily surpassing Dario Conca's huge-money move to Guangzhou Evergrande.

Anelka, who will reportedly earn €234,000 per week, has already made an impact in his pre-season debut, scoring inside the first minute in a win over Hunan Billows. Shanghai fans will be expecting that goal to be the first of many for the veteran attacker, who has played at some of Europe's biggest clubs.

NANO | Levante to Guizhou Renhe

The 31-year-old Spanish defender may not be a huge name in the football world, but he is the first regular La Liga starter to join the CSL. Nano played 17 games during 2010-11 season for Levante, and famously thwarted Cristiano Ronaldo in the victory against Real Madrid.

Nano opted to sign a two-year deal with Guizhou Renhe (formerly Shaanxi Chanba), where he's reported to be earning €1 million per season. In the 1990s another Spanish player, Andres Olivas Rubio, joined the Chinese top flight but he was an amateur player and also had a job as a truck driver in his country; Nano shows the standard in the CSL is moving forward.

FABIO ROCHEMBACK | Gremio to Dalian Aerbin

Like Liverpool's Lucas, Rochemback isn't your archetypal Brazilian footballer, and has a combative style about his play. The 30-year-old has joined newly-promoted Dalian Aerbin, who had a busy off-season and were linked with moves for Didier Drogba and Amauri.

Manager Li Ming said: "Fabio is excellent physically, very strong and could hold the midfield for the team. I hope he can be the leader in Aerbin, leading us to victory."

However, Rochemback only arrives in China in late February, which could be an issue as he adjusts to his new team-mates and life in China.

ZHAO XURI | Guizhou Renhe to Guangzhou Evergrande

Like Rochemback, Zhao Xuri is a no-nonsense holding midfielder, who goes by the nickname "The Hammer". Xuri is strong and tough, and provides a safeguard for the back-line by sitting just ahead of the defence. The current China international has joined big-spending champions Guangzhou Evergrande this season from Guizhou Renhe.

According to local media the transfer fee was approximately 10m RMB (€1.2m); Guangzhou loaned its midfielder Yang Hao to Guizhou Renhe as part of the fee. In the last China squad, there were several Guangzhou representatives and Xuri has indicated that he is moving to boost his national team prospects.

DENG ZHUOXIANG | Shandong Luneng to Jiangsu Sainty

Deng Zhuoxiang, 23, is a rising star and regular midfielder in the Chinese national team. He is famous for his set-piece ability and also a memorable goal against South Korea at the 2010 Eastern Asia Championship. After a long off-season transfer saga, Zhuoxiang was eventually sold back to Jiangsu Sainty (who he played for in 2009, winning the Best Youth Player Award) from Shandong Luneng.

The main reservation with Zhuoxiang is his past record of injures, which made him unavailable for long spells of the 2011 season. However, Jiangsu Sainty have splashed out 6m RMB (€720,000) to sign him on a four-year deal, which shows how highly he's regarded.

Anelka's move to China was big news, do you think many more big names will follow?
Let us know in the comment box!

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