It "feels inevitable that the Chinese will join the wealth of nations" owning EPL clubs, following a massive investment in the game, according to Sam Wallace of the London TELEGRAPH.
The coach of the Brazilian champions Corinthians, Tite, "has been frank about his club's unusual approach" to defending its 2015 Brasileiro Serie A title which so far has involved it selling four of its players to Chinese Super League clubs.
Tite said,
"China screwed us. Keeping big players raises the standard but, unfortunately the reality for us has been different."
China "is already a captive market for the Premier League." Investment in the other direction "could see the tables turn."
The reality "has been remarkable." Tite's Corinthians has "lost four leading players in quick succession to Chinese clubs." Encouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping's plan for state and private investment to double the size of the Chinese sporting economy by '25, the Brazilian recruitment drive "is not the only area of investment."
The inevitable question "is when a Chinese investor will buy a club in the Premier League." Chinese state and private investors "already have control of Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic and the French club Sochaux, and they have a stake in Atletico Madrid."
There "are the obvious contenders" still in the hands of British businessmen -- Tottenham, Everton, West Ham, Newcastle -- or perhaps it is "one of the very elite" the Chinese will want (TELEGRAPH, 1/21).
