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Qatar 2022 World Cup: China star Wu Lei told to leave Espanyol, will cut season short to play vital Fifa qualifiers
- China’s star forward and sole overseas-based player on the national team to end Spanish season early to return for Fifa World Cup qualifiers
- This season has been tough for 29-year-old and he was an unused sub in win over Las Palmas that saw Chinese commentary team call for him to leave
Espanyol forward Wu Lei, China’s only national football team member playing overseas, has hardly featured for the Spanish side this season and Chinese commentators have demanded he leave the club.
The commentators on the Chinese-owned club’s games, which are shown given Wu’s popularity back home, called for him to leave the Barcelona-based side this summer. They also suggested that Chinese fans would stop watching Espanyol if he left.
In the short term they have got their wish, which was brought to light by Spanish sports journalist Daniel Yan on Twitter after the 4-0 win over Las Palmas on Sunday.
Wu, who was an unused substitute as the team went six points clear at the top of the Segunda Division, will leave Vicente Moreno’s side before the end of the season, which climaxes with a trip to Alcorcon on May 30.
China’s Fifa World Cup qualifiers are set to begin in late May with games against Guam on May 30, Maldives on June 3, Philippines on June 9 and group leaders Syria on June 15.
Wu will have to leave in early May to clear the 14-day quarantine for overseas arrivals in place in China.
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He is yet to meet up with his national teammates since Li Tie took over as coach in December 2019, with Wu left out of the then caretaker’s squad for the EAFF E-1 Finals in South Korea.
Wu has fallen by the wayside this season, largely watching from the bench as his teammates chase promotion back to the Spanish top flight. His lack of action has been a source of much debate in Chinese media as fears grow that China’s star player will be out of form and match fitness as they chase a place at Qatar 2022.
He played a mere 14 minutes in the 1-1 draw withAlmeria last Tuesday and a whole minute in the 2-1 win over Leganes the previous match day.
This has been typical of his season, in which he has two goals and two assists across 28 Segunda Division games this season. Even those numbers do not tell the whole story.
He started the first five games of the season before coming off injured at half-time in the fifth and sitting out the next four games.
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Since then he has started just two more games in the league and not completed 90 minutes in either, while 21 of his 28 league appearances have come from the bench.
Even last season, when Wu tested positive for Covid-19, along with his wife, last March – the “toughest time in 2020” he told iqiyi.com – he scored four goals after his return as Espanyol tried to fight off relegation from La Liga.
Wu’s future is clearly not with Espanyol under their current boss, though he has declared his willingness to fight for his place most recently in a live broadcast with Chinese fans on April 21.
“I came here and said that I am ready for any difficulties, so I have no change in mentality,” he said when asked about spending so much time on the bench.
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“The team’s goal is to return to La Liga, that is the most important thing. There will always be opportunities for training. I have prepared for all kinds of difficulties. It may be smooth when I first arrived. It may be a matter of time.”
Fans also asked whether he would finish his career overseas or return to play in China.
“I hope that the longer the time is, the better. After all, I have experienced it personally and I feel very different. The usual atmosphere, including every time I play, is very cherished, even for one minute.”
That is a positive attitude for a player who has featured so little this season, and with so few games left before he leaves for national duty he is unlikely to feature much more.
Moreno will surely stay if Espanyol are promoted and it remains to be seen if he would call on Wu more in La Liga than he has in the Segunda Division.
Espanyol forward Wu Lei, China’s only national football team member playing overseas, has hardly featured for the Spanish side this season and Chinese commentators have demanded he leave the club.
The commentators on the Chinese-owned club’s games, which are shown given Wu’s popularity back home, called for him to leave the Barcelona-based side this summer. They also suggested that Chinese fans would stop watching Espanyol if he left.
In the short term they have got their wish, which was brought to light by Spanish sports journalist Daniel Yan on Twitter after the 4-0 win over Las Palmas on Sunday.
Wu, who was an unused substitute as the team went six points clear at the top of the Segunda Division, will leave Vicente Moreno’s side before the end of the season, which climaxes with a trip to Alcorcon on May 30.
China’s Fifa World Cup qualifiers are set to begin in late May with games against Guam on May 30, Maldives on June 3, Philippines on June 9 and group leaders Syria on June 15.
Wu will have to leave in early May to clear the 14-day quarantine for overseas arrivals in place in China.
He is yet to meet up with his national teammates since Li Tie took over as coach in December 2019, with Wu left out of the then caretaker’s squad for the EAFF E-1 Finals in South Korea.
Wu has fallen by the wayside this season, largely watching from the bench as his teammates chase promotion back to the Spanish top flight. His lack of action has been a source of much debate in Chinese media as fears grow that China’s star player will be out of form and match fitness as they chase a place at Qatar 2022.
He played a mere 14 minutes in the 1-1 draw withAlmeria last Tuesday and a whole minute in the 2-1 win over Leganes the previous match day.
This has been typical of his season, in which he has two goals and two assists across 28 Segunda Division games this season. Even those numbers do not tell the whole story.
He started the first five games of the season before coming off injured at half-time in the fifth and sitting out the next four games.
Since then he has started just two more games in the league and not completed 90 minutes in either, while 21 of his 28 league appearances have come from the bench.
Even last season, when Wu tested positive for Covid-19, along with his wife, last March – the “toughest time in 2020” he told iqiyi.com – he scored four goals after his return as Espanyol tried to fight off relegation from La Liga.
Wu’s future is clearly not with Espanyol under their current boss, though he has declared his willingness to fight for his place most recently in a live broadcast with Chinese fans on April 21.
“I came here and said that I am ready for any difficulties, so I have no change in mentality,” he said when asked about spending so much time on the bench.
“The team’s goal is to return to La Liga, that is the most important thing. There will always be opportunities for training. I have prepared for all kinds of difficulties. It may be smooth when I first arrived. It may be a matter of time.”
Fans also asked whether he would finish his career overseas or return to play in China.
“I hope that the longer the time is, the better. After all, I have experienced it personally and I feel very different. The usual atmosphere, including every time I play, is very cherished, even for one minute.”
That is a positive attitude for a player who has featured so little this season, and with so few games left before he leaves for national duty he is unlikely to feature much more.
Moreno will surely stay if Espanyol are promoted and it remains to be seen if he would call on Wu more in La Liga than he has in the Segunda Division.