Chelsea has confirmed that 28-year-old mainstay Ramires is staying no more.
The hard-nosed Brazilian midfielder is on his way to Jiangsu Suning, as the Chinese Super League continues its push for relevance with a reported purchase price of approximately $36 million.
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He was the Chelsea Players’ Player of the Year in 2011-12, and scored 37 times in 246 appearances.
His contributions were difficult to quantify with traditional goals and measurables. And with all respect to the CSL, Ramires will likely amplify his offensive production (though the league is quickly growing in star power).Ramires made more tackles (329) in the Premier League over the past five seasons than any other Chelsea player. https://t.co/f8iHD5QwzD
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 27, 2016
It’s a lot of money to spend on a 28-year-old, but a massive win for the CSL. The Chinese league faces similar obstacles to the nascent Indian Super League, and has clearly learned its lessons from the rapid growth of MLS.
For Chelsea, it’s a tidy profit on a good player who right now is surplus to requirements. Whether he should be is another story, and we can imagine many Chelsea fans feel this is an unnecessary sale (at least at this time of year).
Managed by ex-Blues player Dan Petrescu, Jiangsu Suning finished ninth in 2015. The club boasts Brazilian-born Croatian national teamer Sammir as well.