Over the past few transfer windows we’ve heard of Hernanes potentially leaving. Deals looked close, and then they didn’t. Other potential deals came along, but then they suddenly turned out to be nothing at all. Things came and went, but Hernanes, even with all of the signals saying he wasn’t going to be a part of Juventus’ plans, was still around in Turin and still occupying the No. 11 jersey.
Turns out, all we needed was the latest transfer window to end for Hernanes to agree to a move that sees him depart Turin.
Juventus announced on Thursday that Hernanes is heading off to China all of 18 months after signing on deadline day two summers ago. After weeks and weeks and weeks of speculation, Juve have sold the 31-year-old Brazilian midfielder to Chinese club Hebei Fortune for an initial fee of €8 million. (That might not be considered a lot of money for a club named Fortune — which I find kinda funny, but that’s just me.)
Here are the official details of the deal, courtesy of Juventus’ official website:
Juventus Football Club can today confirm that Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima has completed a move to Hebei China Fortune FC for a fee of €8 million to be paid within 15 days after the release of the International Transfer Certificate.
The consideration may increase by €2 million on achieving given conditions over the course of the contract.
Hernanes will reportedly earn a salary of around €8 million to €9 million a season, according to Gianluca Di Marzio — which, if you are having trouble remembering, is more than Gonzalo Higuain currently makes at Juventus.
And thus, after many a rumor and probably plenty of denials of a move, Hernanes becomes the latest player who has made their name in Europe to head over to China and take full advantage of all the riches that come along with it.
It never worked out for Hernanes in Turin. He was believed to be Juve’s latest option for the Great Trequartista Hunt of 2015 and 2016 as Max Allegri tried to find a ‘1’ for his beloved 4-3-1-2 formation. Instead, Hernanes proved to be really nothing more than a reserve midfielder who occasionally got a start yet consistently frustrated. He provided a handful of glimpses to his previous self, but the collective whole was really nothing worth writing home about when it comes down to it.
As a great man on Twitter and somebody I call a friend said earlier, “You tried. We hoped for Lazio you, but got Inter you. Best of luck in China.”
Pretty much. Enjoy China, Hernanes. And enjoy the significant pay raise as well.