Shanghai SIPG coach Andre Villas-Boas believed that the days of big-spending in the Chinese Super League are over, saying that the new regulations implemented by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) will prevent mega-money deals to happen.
The Chinese club has spent €60million for former Chelsea midfielder Oscar, as well as €56million for his compatriot Hulk, who came from Zenit St. Petersburg.
However, the CFA has moved to limit these types of transfer. As a result, in the most recent transfer window, Chinese clubs mostly sign footballers on a free transfer, or on loan from another club.
“The change of regulations implicates that the market will probably stop in China regarding this kind of transfer,” said Villas Boas.
“We will see how it moves forward next year. For now, the market is closed, players can only exit and when it opens we will see. But I don’t think the spending will continue as it was before,” the former Chelsea manager added.