Zhang Linpeng

[theessexfox]

I think he is a CB but is able to play RB. (Could be wrong but I believe we signed him for CB)

Yeah I know he's mainly a CB, I meant as in people seem to forget about him when discussing our CB options but I think he could definitely be an important part of a squad next year. 

[The_77]

In that case then why did the owners come out and say they wanted an Asian player? Why do they talk about having academies to help Asian players into English clubs?

Okazaki was clearly signed from a brief that Walsh was given to find an Asian player who fitted the usual remit as closely as possible, not to find the best player and then that just so happened to be Okazaki. He's played his part but, let's face it, Okazaki isn't any more than a cog in a machine for us and there's nothing to suggest that he was signed on ability alone.

The fact this guy's been linked with the biggest clubs in Europe means nothing. There are so many signings made based on shirt sales/publicity - see Park Ji Sung at United, Li Tie at Everton and Junichi Inamoto at Arsenal. All had a certain level of ability but none would have got the moves they did on footballing ability alone. As shown by their career paths after leaving those clubs.

Clearly.

I suppose Marcello Lippi was just trying to drum up shirt sales for Zhang's future club when he sang this player's praises.

[Freeman's Wharfer]

Clearly.

I suppose Marcello Lippi was just trying to drum up shirt sales for Zhang's future club when he sang this player's prai

 

And Lippi was managing him in China for the love of football or because it was the best league he could manage in was he? Or was he buying into the PR/commercial aspect of everything over there?

 

So, the new Sergio Ramos has been playing in China for years (he's 27 now) and no one's brought him to Europe yet? How come?

 

Top's quoted as saying "We'd love a Chinese player" rather than saying "we'd love the best players regardless of nationality"? Why?

 

Yet there are several on here saying it's absurd to think that there might, just might, be a commercial aspect to this link?!

[filbertstreet]

And Lippi was managing him in China for the love of football or because it was the best league he could manage in was he? Or was he buying into the PR/commercial aspect of everything over there?

 

So, the new Sergio Ramos has been playing in China for years (he's 27 now) and no one's brought him to Europe yet? How come?

 

Top's quoted as saying "We'd love a Chinese player" rather than saying "we'd love the best players regardless of nationality"? Why?

 

Yet there are several on here saying it's absurd to think that there might, just might, be a commercial aspect to this link?!

Chelsea tried to buy him last season but couldn't agree contract terms in time or something, of course there's a commercial side to it - there's a billion people in China and lots of them love football - but he's definitely a decent player

[ALC Fox]

Imagine a Chinese player playing for the Premier League champions. The Chinese market will go crazy for Leicester, but only if he's good enough to actually get into the first team. If he is, and he improves the squad, then it's win-win.

[TheMightySystem]

Yeah I know he's mainly a CB, I meant as in people seem to forget about him when discussing our CB options but I think he could definitely be an important part of a squad next year. 

Ah sorry, agreed I think he can offer something to the team still, looked decent enough whenever I saw him. If Moore isn't going to make it though we need a younger CB for sure.

[Dodgy Bob]

And Lippi was managing him in China for the love of football or because it was the best league he could manage in was he? Or was he buying into the PR/commercial aspect of everything over there?

So, the new Sergio Ramos has been playing in China for years (he's 27 now) and no one's brought him to Europe yet? How come?

Top's quoted as saying "We'd love a Chinese player" rather than saying "we'd love the best players regardless of nationality"? Why?

Yet there are several on here saying it's absurd to think that there might, just might, be a commercial aspect to this link?!

There might be a commercial link in as much as we're looking at potential revenue as a way of bringing down the effective cost of the transfer. I don't see anything wrong with that myself. If he costs £10m and we get £3m back in shirt sales then he only really costs £7m. The question then becomes, is he the best player we can get for £7m. If the answer is yes then we buy him. If no then we don't.

We've got one Asian player, who Ranieri rates so highly he started him in almost every game of a league winning campaign during which he was praised by his team mates, pundits and fans. It's not as if we're being stocked full of Asian players who can't kick a ball.

I ask again, what does an Asian player have to do for you not to suspect he is being signed on nationality alone?

[mozartfox]

Chelsea tried to buy him last season but couldn't agree contract terms in time or something, of course there's a commercial side to it - there's a billion people in China and lots of them love football - but he's definitely a decent player

 1.5 billion actually in China. God knows how many outside.  I think Malaysia alone has 7 million ethic Chinese.  So the potential commercial advantages are mind-blowing.  If this signing were to bring in millions of additional revenue, which could then be re-invested in squad, I think most people on here would be happy with that.

[MPH]

 1.5 billion actually in China. God knows how many outside.  I think Malaysia alone has 7 million ethic Chinese.  So the potential commercial advantages are mind-blowing.  If this signing were to bring in millions of additional revenue, which could then be re-invested in squad, I think most people on here would be happy with that.

 

 

It's a huge huge country Random fact of the day: . There's actually more people right now in China learning English than English people living in England.

[Babylon]

How do you know what a Walsh signing is? Hate this bullshit thought that if people don't think a player is very good, or even just Asian he's been scouted and signed by someone else.

Well you could take on board what Walsh himself has said, that you can't scout every league because of our resources. So we often focus on certain ones, that have a history of producing players who can work in our league. W

 

Everything they have said and written about our scouting, would suggest it's unlikely... not impossible... but unlikely. It's also likely that Ranieri may have some more input, he'll have old friends and scouts etc who point people his way.

 

But, as has been admitted before. The owners HAVE asked us to look at signing asian players, you have to ask yourself. Would we be looking to do so without that influence?

[ALC Fox]

Well you could take on board what Walsh himself has said, that you can't scout every league because of our resources. So we often focus on certain ones, that have a history of producing players who can work in our league. W

Everything they have said and written about our scouting, would suggest it's unlikely... not impossible... but unlikely. It's also likely that Ranieri may have some more input, he'll have old friends and scouts etc who point people his way.

But, as has been admitted before. The owners HAVE asked us to look at signing asian players, you have to ask yourself. Would we be looking to do so without that influence?

Presumably if the owners have asked us to look at signing Asian players, we'd be scouting the best and most realistic of those who could complement the side. If that's the case, this could well be a 'Walsh signing'.

[Merging Cultures]

If he costs £10m and we get £3m back in shirt sales then he only really costs £7m.

I agree with you, it's an interesting theory, but two issues:

1. Only ordered 80,000 shirts apparently which if all adult sized = £4,000,000 revenue max

2. Copyright laws are largely ignored in China so likelihood of genuine shirts being purchased is very low in the first place.

Revenue would come from sponsorship deals not shirt sales. This could still be very relevant. But I agree that Asian players shouldn't be assumed to be bought just for commercial reasons. Okazaki has worked his socks off.

[mozartfox]

More than half of Chinese football fans claim to support the British football competition and some 350

million of them watch the games on a regular basis.

As that 'Spuds' Maximus Bell-Endios muppet fan said on Twitter - 'You do the maths'.

I wonder what percentage of King Power's total Duty Free sales is generated from PRC citizens?

Commercially, this signing would be a master stroke and potentially fantastic for LCFC and our Owners'

business interests.

[Webbo]

It's a huge huge country Random fact of the day: . There's actually more people right now in China learning English than English people living in England.