Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Beijing: Senegal international striker Papiss Cisse has left Newcastle United to sign for Chinese Super League outfit Shandong Luneng, it has been confirmed.
The 31-year-old forward joins AFC Champions League quarter-finalists Shandong – currently coached by former Bayern Munich boss Felix Magath - for an undisclosed fee following a four-and-a-half year spell at St James' Park.
Cisse becomes the latest in an increasingly impressive array of talent to sign deals with Chinese sides, the most recent of which was Brazil international Hulk who last month joined Shanghai SIPG from Zenit St. Petersburg for a record Asian transfer fee of €55.8 million.
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Cisse scored 44 goals in 131 appearances for Newcastle, but was unable to prevent the club being relegated from the English Premier League at the end of the 2015-16 season.
The talented forward does, however, arrive in China with his new employers facing similar struggles. Shandong are currently one place off bottom spot in the domestic standings, although they did record a crucial 2-1 win over Jiangsu Suning on Saturday.
On the continental front, Shandong will continue their AFC Champions League campaign with a last eight first leg encounter away against FC Seoul on August 24. They are scheduled to host the return fixture on September 14.
Photo: AFP