Official: Shanghai Shenhua signs Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka
Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua has announced the signing of Chelsea's French striker Nicolas Anelka on a two-year deal. Shenhua, which had been in discussions with Anelka for over a week, confirmed on its website on Monday that the 32-year-old had agreed to join the team in January 2012. The club opted not to provide the financial details of the contract in the statement, although it had been reported it was worth approximately 200,000 pounds ($312,920) per week.
Speaking on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Shenhua skipper Yu Tao said, “It’s impossible not to be excited by this – a warm welcome to our new teammate!” Anelka, who was also chased by English Championship outfit West Ham, joins Shanghai after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea under coach Andre Villas-Boas. The French striker was due to come out of contract at Stamford Bridge in the European summer and had handed in a transfer request earlier this month. Shenhua, which is owned by the enigmatic Zhu Jun, finished the 2011 CSL in 11th and hasn't won the Chinese title since 2003. The Shanghai outfit has also been in discussions with former Fulham and Bordeaux coach Jean Tigana about taking over as the club's new boss. [Goal.com]