ZZ's dilemma: leave or stay?

By Roy Wang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-05-09 14:17


Charlton Athletic midfielder Zheng Zhi, right, tackles Tottenham Hotspur's Michael Dawson to take control of the ball during an English Premiership soccer match at the Valley Stadium in London, May 7, 2007. [sina.com]

"That's no doubt I hope to play in a high-level league abroad, but my future will be decided not only by myself but by the Shandong Luneng Soccer Club, everything will come out after the Asian A3 Champions Cup." Zheng Zhi, Shandong Luneng midfielder on loan to Charlton Athletic in the English Premier league, told sina.com Wednesday.

Charlton Athletic was relegated from the Premiership League after losing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at the Valley Stadium in London on Monday.

Chinese skipper Zheng Zhi nicknamed ZZ helped his team win over Newcastle and Wiganin in March, who was voted players of both matches. He however couldn't make the Addicks survive in the Premiership.

"We were unwilling to see Charlton's demotion, the game was ruthless, there was no way." Han Gongzheng, administrative vice manager of Shandong Luneng Soccer Club, said.

"What we can confirm is Zheng will rejoin Luneng for the A3 Champions Cup after his contract with Charlton expires on May 20." Han added, "We wrote many details in the contract on what we will do if Charlton is relegated, that's for protecting our player's interests."

"I learned more from the premier league, my improvement was obvious." Zheng told Sina.com, "I played with different teams, I knew how to read the play, I will play my best in the last game against Liverpool."

Zheng also denied a former report saying that if Charlton is degraded, ZZ will definitely leave despite his Charlton coach's retention.

Zheng is a top player in the Chinese Super Soccer League, that's a good news for Luneng if he returns, but one problem is he has to get a certificate issued by the China Football Association.

 

 



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