Under-21s attacker Dongda He has secured a permanent transfer to Chinese Super League outfit Changchun Yatai.
The move brings to a close a four-and-a-half year stay at Molineux for the 21-year-old, who initially signed from Notts County in the summer of 2018.
Throughout his time at Wolves, Dongda progressed through the under-18s and established himself in the 21s set-up, while also spending the second half of the 2021 season on loan at Beijing Sinobo Guoan where he made 10 appearances in the Coronavirus-hit campaign.
Strategic player marketing manager, Matt Jackson, has praised the professionalism of Dongda who has had to overcome several hurdles throughout his time at Compton Park, with the pandemic and injuries forcing his development to become interrupted.
“Dongda’s been unbelievably professional and he’s a brilliant person too,” Jackson said. “He’s arguably been the most affected by the pandemic because he was on his loan spell in China during the lockdown.
“He now has a fantastic opportunity and we’re delighted that he can go and progress his career. Credit to him that he can go to China and be the successful professional we know he can be, and I’m sure he’ll go onto great things.”
Jackson has explained that the competitiveness and number of players fighting to play at the highest level provides its own challenges, but believes that Dongda is in a strong position to take his own career to the next step with Changchun.
“It just shows the level players have to reach to have Premier League careers. It’s really difficult for all players and when you have a barrier like a pandemic thrown in your way, it’s so tough for the young players.
“It’s tough for them but we like to think they get supported through that process and leave us better educated – both as people and as footballers.
“Dongda’s quite capable of playing in the UK and has the ability to do so. However, this is a great challenge for him and the exposure will be brilliant. It’s credit to him and football being a global game means that he can fit into different cultures seamlessly.”
