Late last night the news that most people had been expecting, almost since the summer, broke.
Carlos Tevez has terminated his contract with Shanghai Shenhua and gone back to Boca Juniors. “By mutual agreement,” according to Shanghai.
A statement from Shenhua read:
“The club would like to place on record our gratitude to Tevez for his contributions last season and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
The Argentine club, which is the same club that Tevez joined Shanghai from back in January last year, confirmed the news on their Twitter as well, with a message reading:
“Tevez has come home. He has joined the club and is already training with his teammates”
Tevez still had one year remaining on his gigantic deal that saw him earn reportedly $41 million a year, making him the best-paid footballer in the world.
#BienvenidoCarlitos ¡Tevez volvió a casa! Hoy se sumó al plantel de Guillermo en Cardales y ya se entrena con sus compañeros. #VamosBoca 💙💛💙 pic.twitter.com/gAHl2DOZpt
— Boca Jrs. Oficial (@BocaJrsOficial) January 5, 2018
Tevez has been under a lot of criticism in his short time in China especially as he seemed demotivated and his performances were not up to the standards expected by someone who was the highest earning footballer on this planet.
Joining Shanghai only before this season he did not impress and only scored four times in 16 appearances in the Chinese Super League.
The Argentinian seemed more interested in returning to Argentina at every opportune moment and fans were not happy when he spent so much time away and did not perform on the pitch.
Shanghai Shenhua had trouble on the pitch this season as well struggling in the league and finishing all the way down in 11th place. However, they ended the year on a great note as they won the Chinese FA Cup beating city rivals Shanghai SIPG on away goals as the two matches ended with the score tied at 3-3. Tevez’ replacement Obafemi Martins scored the decisive goal that gave them the win and Shanghai fans didn’t seem to miss Tevez that much.
But with Carlos gone, who will be next in through the doors of the CSL? The January window has just opened and there are sure to be itchy trigger fingers from some of the owners around the league. We at chinesesuperleague.uk will keep you updated with all the transfer activity around the league.