Former Shenhua general manager hired by Dalian
Zhou Jun
Former Shenhua general manager, Zhou Jun, has left the club and joined Chinese Super League new comer Dalian Yifang, Shenhua announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Zhou has worked for Shenhua for 11 years, and was responsible for the team’s operation, including the purchase of domestic and foreign players.
After a farewell meet with players on Monday, Zhou left Shanghai and headed to Dalian for the next chapter of his career as the club’s general manager.
Zhou was one of the top officials in Shenhua’s “Zhu Jun era.” Entrepreneur Zhu Jun was Shenhua’s major investor from 2007 to 2014, during which time Shenhua signed big-name players like Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba.
“Due to some personal reasons, I chose to leave Shenhua and seek another kind of development,” Zhou said during the farewell meet. “After so many years here, some players and I are more like brothers instead of official and players.”
Zhou talks to players during a farewell meet on Monday.
Zhou was often pressed by fan opinions due to his power in player introduction, especially when players’ performance failed to meet the fans' expectations or when the club was on a poor run.
Shenhua signed Argentine striker Carlos Tevez last year and made him one of the highest-paid players in the world. However, he proved to be of little help to the team, who was also criticized for being overweight and unfit to play. He left Shanghai at the beginning of this year.
Zhou and club president Wu Xiaohui were under a lot of pressure due to fans’ criticism during the period.
Zhou was reported to be have been contacted by a headhunting company entrusted by Dalian Yifang before making the “transfer.”
His position will be taken over by former Shanghai Football Association spokesperson Zhu Junwei, who joined Shenhua this year as vice general manager to take charge of youth training and other club affairs.
