Zahavi upstaging illustrious imports

Bargain Israeli tops CSL scoring chart ahead of big-name stars

While Oscar broke transfer records and Carlos Tevez pocketed a bumper pay deal, it is little-known Eran Zahavi who has emerged as the goalscorer supreme in this season's Chinese Super League.

Oscar traded life in the English Premier League for Shanghai SIPG in an Asian-record transfer deal of $71.99 million while Tevez secured a reported salary of $775,000 per week for one final fling with Shanghai Shenhua.

But for all the millions lavished on the high-profile South American duo, it is Zahavi, Guangzhou R&F's $8 million capture from Maccabi Tel Aviv, who represents the best value for money with 25 goals in 25 league games.

"When I decided to bring him to Guangzhou it was a little bit of a surprise for everybody but the crucial point was that I spoke face-to-face with the boss and I am very happy that I convinced him to do this," R&F coach Dragan Stojkovic told Reuters.

"The surprise is that no one knew him. He was not a big name regarding international football but I knew exactly what I needed from my team and for my style of play and that was a really good point.

"Today, Zahavi feels good, he plays a very important role and definitely he is a natural killer of goalkeepers. He's really always in the positions where he can be very, very productive."

Superstars struggle

This season has been challenging for many of the big names drawn to the CSL. Former Chelsea star Oscar served an eight-match suspension for instigating a brawl while an injured and out-of-sorts Tevez is expected to return to Argentina.

Zahavi, however, has enjoyed a seamless transition to Chinese soccer and his 25-goal tally has him five clear of his nearest challenger, Brazilian Ricardo Goulart of Guangzhou Evergrande, at the top of the scoring chart.

The Israeli has also scored another four in the Chinese FA Cup.

Zahavi's form, however, is merely a continuation of his prolific record in Israel, where he broke the league's single-season scoring record. "His performance regarding goals is absolutely fantastic," said Stojkovic.

"It's been unbelievable. He's a player who is very, very professional and very confident, but I think he likes very much our style of football and that's why he's always in good shape."

Zahavi's hot streak is sure to have alerted deeper-pocketed clubs in China and beyond to his talents, but Stojkovic is hopeful he can retain the 30-year-old former Palermo striker's services for next season.

"In football, things change every day," said Stojkovic. "I hope he will stay and he has a contract with us and he's happy, but nobody knows what can happen tomorrow.

"If something comes as a really interesting offer, or something like that, then we have to sit at the table and make sure of what we really want.

"At this moment, personally I don't think too much about that because we still have games to play and we will see at the end of the season what happens.

"But I hope he will stay with us."

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 09/23/2017 page12)