The Chinese Super League (CSL) has recently acquired three new foreign players for a combined transfer fee of only 800,000 euros, a price that would have been unimaginable just eight years ago. The current state of the CSL finds itself at its lowest point, with teams striving to save money on foreign players. During the new season's transfer window, agents predicted that most foreign players' market values would not exceed 1 million euros. As expected, the latest revelation is that the three confirmed foreign signings by the CSL all had their transfer fees paid, but the total cost was just 800,000 euros, a stark contrast to the tens of millions of euros spent on a single foreign player during the golden era of football.
Among these three newly acquired foreign players, the cheapest is Nelson Lus, who was bought out by Qingdao West Coast. Last season, Qingdao West Coast borrowed him from Portuguese club GIMARAES, and he proved to be quite useful, scoring 5 goals and providing 5 assists. What's key is his high attendance rate, and he is young at only 26 years old. Qingdao West Coast spent 200,000 euros this time to directly buy him out, and his current market value is as high as 750,000 euros, so this deal directly made a profit of 550,000 euros.
The second cheapest is Salvador, the new foreign player for Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. This midfielder from the Spanish second division has a market value of 800,000 euros, but Tianjin Jinmen Tiger initially offered 300,000 euros and later bargained down another 50,000 euros, ultimately securing him for a transfer fee of 250,000 euros. Compared to his market value, they also made a profit of 550,000 euros, which is indeed quite cost-effective.
The third player is the most expensive, but still only cost 350,000 euros in transfer fees. This is Zrno Makovic, the newly introduced Serbian defender by Yunnan Yulong. He is the main defender of Vojvodina in the Serbian Super League, with a market value of 450,000 euros, and the team also brought him in at a relatively low price.
The first three foreign players bought by the CSL in the new season cost only 800,000 euros in total, with their combined market value reaching 2 million euros. Teams in the CSL are now really being frugal, hoping to find good deals at low prices! (Old Qiu)