In the summer of 2002, following China's participation in the World Cup, a significant news story emerged: Li Tie and Li Weifeng joined Everton. Although not a top Premier League team, Everton is an established club, and the acquisition of two Chinese players was seen as a direct result of the World Cup effect. Sponsorship by Kejian Kejian Company bought out Everton's chest advertising for two years at a cost of 2 million pounds, with an additional clause stipulating the introduction of a Chinese player (or two, one being a starter). This clause seemed unusual, but Everton had limited options. As a mid-to-lower table Premier League team, Everton's strength and commercial value fell short of their local rivals, Liverpool. Manager David Moyes already had plans to select cost-effective Asian players, so there was no conflict between his intentions and the sponsorship deal. Moyes himself scouted during the group stage of the World Cup, evaluating players. While Kejian provided the key to Everton, it cannot be said that Li Tie and Li Weifeng's move to the Premier League was solely due to Kejian's influence. Selection Criteria From a pool of over twenty Chinese national team players, Moyes would not choose veterans or newcomers; he preferred players in their prime. This meant that experienced players like Fan Zhiyi and Zhang Enhua, who had previously played abroad, were not top choices due to their age. The selection narrowed down to players like Li Tie, Zhao Junzhe, and Xu Yunlong. Moyes urgently needed a defensive midfielder to partner with Thomas Gravesen, making Li Tie…