RCD Espanyol consider introducing another Chinese player, report

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Europe

RCD Espanyol of La Liga are considering introducing another Chinese player after they signed Chinese forward Wu Lei, who made good contributions to the team, reported Mundo Deportivo on May 25.

Since Wu joined RCD Espanyol, he only missed one of the 17 following games and even played 12 of them as a starting player. He scored three goals, delivered one assist and created a penalty kick for the club in the 16 games he played. In RCD Espanyol's last game against Real Sociedad, Wu scored the victory-sealing goal to help his club win 2-0, securing a spot in the 2019-20 Europa League Cup.

In the 16 games Wu played, RCD Espanyol claimed seven wins, seven draws and two losses to get 29 points. Before he came, the team lost 11 of their 22 games. Of course, Wu cannot take all the credit, but at least he was playing a helpful role in the organization.

Chinese forward Wu Lei of La Liga's RCD Espanyol. /VCG Photo

Wu's influence went beyond the field. After he joined RCD Espanyol, even before he started playing, the Spanish club found their social media fans in China increasing by over 350,000 and the news of Wu signing them reaching some 350 million people in China. Everything related to Wu, ranging from news to clips, will echo in China.

Having benefited from Wu's joining, both in competition and brand value, RCD Espanyol should seriously consider taking another look at the Chinese talent pool. Moreover, the team will attend European competition next season and thus will need to improve their lineup so they have enough strength for multi-line competitions.