Is There More to Wolves’ Partnership with Nantong Zhiyun Than Meets the Eye?

Last month, Wolves inked a deal that’s not just about football. The club partnered with Nantong Zhiyun Football Club, a relatively new outfit on the Chinese scene, founded only in 2016 but climbing fast.

The official line from the club claims the partnership will ‘focus on establishing advanced training programs aimed at nurturing young players and promoting the development of comprehensive player and coaching systems.’ Further to this, ‘expertise will be shared in areas such as football skills, tactics, and club operations, ensuring both clubs benefit from each other’s knowledge and experience.’ 

But how much can Wolves really learnt from a fledgling second division Chinese club? Very little, you’d imagine. Which is where the next line in the club’s official statement really comes into play: ‘In addition, the partnership will strengthen commercial cooperation in football-related industries, opening up new avenues for growth.’

In other words, it’s about global strategy and economic ties, with football as the vehicle. Possibly signifying a dramatic change in the Chinese government’s sentiments towards football, which has indirectly hindered Wolves in recent years.

So who are Nantong Zhiyun and what’s the strategic importance?

This club isn’t your average side; it’s something of a jewel in the crown for Chinese football. Known for a deep connection to the local community, the club has built a loyal fan base in just nine years of existence. Furthermore, the home stadium has been recognised as the ‘Best Match Area’ by the Chinese Football Association- which tells us it’s all about location location location. 

Nantong, one of China’s 14 port cities open for foreign investment, is on the rise, thanks to its strategic location and recent infrastructure like the Yangtze River bridges. It’s also home to Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The welcoming of this collaboration suggests Wolves’ owners, Fosun International, are still highly favoured by the Chinese government, giving them, and Wolves, a significant edge in terms of powerful connections and influence. Even more so if there is to be a resurgence of interest in football as an instrument for soft power on a global scale from China. If the taps are turned back on, Wolves could be major beneficiaries. If this is the case, the question is: why now?

Is the Chinese football landscape changing again?

This partnership comes at a time when Chinese investment in English football has cooled down. Remember the days when West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Birmingham City and co. were all under Chinese ownership? Now, Wolves are the last club standing with Chinese ownership, having seen a wave where the plug was seemingly pulled on many investments. The reasons? A combination of regulatory crackdowns in China, economic slowdown, and perhaps a waning interest in football as a vehicle for soft power. 

For the last few years this has been something of a debilitating factor for Wolves, and with the lack of rocket-fuel aka Chinese government interest, the club have turned to a fundamentally flawed self-sustainability model. However, this move could signal Wolves benefiting again from their Chinese ties, and perhaps to an even greater degree- after all, this time it would pretty much be an exclusive relationship. 

It has been touted for a while that it’s an open secret Wolves are for sale, but that might have changed now China looks to re-assert itself in global football. Significant partnerships and sponsorship deals are in place for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and, crucially, the United States. Just the biggest global stage in the back garden of the world’s biggest consumer market for a manufacturing powerhouse of a nation intent on increasing their global influence to flaunt themselves then. 

This is nothing new, Chinese firms piled in to sponsor the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They did the same in Qatar, 2022, where they were the largest sponsors with a $1.4 billion outlay. A figure that will likely pale into insignificance when you consider the scale of opportunity that comes from a World Cup in America. This is likely too massive of an opportunity to refuse, and Wolves now remain China’s only major foot in the footballing door- it would be surprising to see them let it slam behind them now.

Fosun’s broader strategy and a potential new era for Wolves?

Fosun’s decision to link with Nantong Zhiyun can be seen as part of a broader political strategy. We know the group has significant interests in Portugal too, which aligns with China’s ambition to be a key trading partner there, especially with ports like Lisbon in play; it’s a gateway to Europe and the European market- close relations with certain nations inevitably create ease of access. From a Wolves perspective, Fosun again find themselves well placed to facilitate any global strategy from the Chinese government, and one would imagine the ability to appease comes with its perks. 

So, could this be the start of an exciting new era for Wolves? With football gaining new traction in China, this move might keep Fosun committed to the sport, possibly revitalising their approach both in England and globally- which arguably, has been needed for a while. One thing is for certain though, the partnership with Nantong Zhiyun isn’t just about football, at least as a game; it’s about tapping into the economic growth and political influence that football wields, primarily through all the eyeballs it attracts. However, for this strategy to be carried out to maximum effect in the run up to the 2026 World Cup, Wolves, and the very fact they are Chinese owned, would need to be centre-stage and lauded. Something  that is not going to happen on a shoestring. It would require significant investment in the club and city. A ‘look at what we have built’ showing to the world. 

As it stands, they are someway off that, fan sentiment is not great at the moment and nor are performances on the pitch, despite a recent upturn- all of which has captured a lot of attention for the wrong reasons this season. But if Fosun have the graces of the Chinese government behind them, to push and promote Wolves further in China, this could act as a vehicle to increase revenue and circumvent FFP/PSR restrictions -that inhibit the ability to spend freely- to help rapidly improve the club’s situation through an injection of funds.

Of course, much of this is highly speculative, but there is a real chance that Wolves’ now exclusive links with China could finally come up trumps, and the partnership with Nantong Zhiyun, seemingly out of nowhere, could well be the first sign of a changing tide. One thing is for certain, if the tap has been turned back on so to speak, expect any relationship with Jorge Mendes to be swiftly rekindled. 

There are conflicting reports as to whether the super-agent represents new manager Vitor Pereira or not, but either way, it hard to imagine Mendes didn’t have some part to play in the ex-Al Shabab man’s arrival. 

Fosun’s links have remained intact owing to the fact they own a 20% stake in Mendes’ holding company Gestifute, but in recent years the club have opted to do their own business, largely independent of the Portuguese. Prior to that, Mendes was instrumental in bringing the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota to Wolves- at a time when ambition was very much the order of the day, and there was a willingness to spend that came with it. With this in mind, what happens -or doesn’t- in the January transfer window will be the next telling factor regarding where next for Wolves. Retaining Premier League status is absolutely imperative. Watch this space.