Tim Cahill joins Shanghai Shenhua in China

Socceroos striker Tim Cahill has joined Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua after ending his spell with New York Red Bulls. The 35-year-old left the MLS club as a free agent on Monday after mutual agreement was reached to tear up his contract, which had a year remaining on it.

Cahill was reportedly linked with clubs in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as well as his former employers in the Premier League Everton and Real Sociedad in Spain, now managed by his former boss on Merseyside David Moyes.
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There was also a clamour for the Sydney-born player to return to Australia, but despite having spoken with Sydney FC, Cahill said that he had received no concrete offers from A-League clubs.

Cahill said he also spoke with Moyes and the Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, former New York Red Bulls player Thierry Henry and Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou before eventually plumping for Shanghai, where he hopes to help raise the game’s profile in the fast-growing Chinese market.

“I respect Australian football so much [but] I’ve never have had an official offer in the last two months,” he told Fox Sports. “I’ll make an impact in China on the pitch, I promise you. When I go somewhere I’ll do it properly. I’m at an age where I want to give back to football as well as play at a high level.

“I’ve made the decision purely because I’ve played in the Premier League and did really well and it was a massive compliment to get the phone calls I did last night and to speak to Moyes about possibly going to La Liga.

“I’ve done the Premier League, I’ve done America. New York was amazing for me ... [but] China is a growing market in football. You see in the [Asian Cup quarter-final] game that we played against China, millions of people watched it and I’m someone who is embracing culture and a different aspect of life.

“It’s all about doing what I want to do as footballer and trying different leagues and I think it’s exciting.”

Cahill heads to Shanghai having recently won the Asian Cup, the Socceroos’ first major international trophy. The former Everton player was an integral part of Ange Postecoglou’s squad, scoring three times and doing much to prove that he is still a player for the big occasion.

He spent two and a half years in New York, during which time he was named the Red Bulls’ MVP and won the Supporters’ Shield – for the team’s best regular season record – in 2013.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time at the Red Bulls and leave with great memories,” said Cahill. “I joined with the ambition of helping to grow and positively affect soccer in the US and I feel immensely proud of what we achieved as a team during my time in the MLS.”


By Mike Hytner, Guardian