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There were high hopes for Chinese striker Wu Lei when he landed a dream move to Spanish club Espanyol, but it might be time for him to return home for the good of his career.
After breaking into the first-team at Shanghai Port (formerly Shanghai SIPG) back in 2008, Wu Lei became one of the most consistent goal scorers in Chinese football, having two sensational seasons in the middle kingdom’s largest city in 2017 and 2018.
2018 saw the Nanjing, Jiangsu native finish the years as the top scorer in the Chinese Super League, with his all-time career record for the red half of Shanghai coming in at 151 goals in 296 league appearances – better than a goal every two games.
Wu Lei’s career was at an all-time high, and he even capped the year 2018 off with five goals in 11 appearances for the Chinese national team, firmly cementing himself a superstar in his home nation.
As expected with that kind of success, which saw Shanghai Port lift the 2018 Chinese Super League title, came international interest in Wu Lei’s services – with a dream move to then-La Liga club Espanyol agreed during the January 2019 transfer window.
It was hoped that Wu Lei would head to Europe, soak up the higher-level of quality and push himself to the limits of his abilities – potentially seeing him help the Chinese national side progress further.
Fast forward two-and-a-half seasons, and not all is well with Wu Lei’s tenure in Spain, with a relegation to La Liga 2 in 2020 and a lack of playing time despite the drop.
Since his move to Espanyol, Wu Lei has scored 14 goals in 91 total appearances for Periquitos, with just three of those coming since the drop into the Spanish second tier.
This season alone, Wu Lei has failed to play a full 90 minutes and has not played half of that in a single match since a 3-0 away victory over UD Logroñés in the middle of December.
His last goal for Espanyol came in a 2-0 victory over Burgos CF in the second round of the Copa Del Rey back in January, with his last league goal coming a month prior against Sporting Gijón.
His lack of playing time is clearly impacting his ability to be successful in Spain, and his career is beginning to stagnate after less than three years away from prolific seasons had in China – suggesting that a return home could be the best move for the 29-year-old.
Returning to Shanghai Port seems to be the most logical move, should he return, with a strong supporting cast around Wu Lei potentially able to get him back to be the frequent goal scorer he once was while likely seeing him get back to playing 90 minutes far more regularly again.
While it would be disappointing to see Wu Lei’s time in Spain come to an end prematurely, it may be what’s best for him in the long-term if he is keen on living up to his talents and remaining a big-name player among the ever-changing Chinese national side.
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