THE HAGUE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- ADO Den Haag have agreed a loan deal with Chinese striker Zhang Yuning for the forthcoming season, the Dutch soccer club from The Hague announced on Friday.
The Chinese international arrives on loan from West Bromwich Albion, which relegated to the Championship last season, the second English level.
By reaching the agreement with WBA and Zhang ADO Den Haag fulfilled one of their main goals, signing a Chinese player, since the club has been acquired by a Chinese owner, United Vansen (UVS).
"For both UVS and ADO Den Haag it is very important to have Zhang on board," Mattijs Manders, CEO of ADO stated in a press release. "A strong player, experienced, young, playing for the national team; important ingredients why we are convinced we wanted to sign Zhang. Of course we also see some commercial possibilities but it all starts with the football qualities of the player. I would like to emphasize the importance of the strong relationship between UVS and ADO Den Haag which has been the basis for Zhang to sign this contract today."
Zhang Yuning played for Hangzhou Greentown in China in his youth and signed a two-year deal at another Dutch club, Vitesse, in the summer of 2015. He made his debut in the first team on February 13, 2016 as a substitute against Heerenveen. In total he played 24 Dutch league matches, in which he scored three times.
The striker set a milestone that same month, when he became the first Chinese player to score in the Eredivisie, the highest Dutch soccer level. He came on as a substitute in the 88th minute at Roda JC Kerkrade and became match winner in injury time.
