after signing former Chelsea star Didier Drogba — with crowds at home
games up 30 percent even as questions swirl over his future.
The Ivory Coast striker joined the club in mid-July, just weeks after
scoring the winning goal in the European Champions League final, for a
reported $300,000-plus a week, making him the highest-paid player in
China.
Attendances have swelled to around 20,000 people for home games when
he plays from 15,000 previously, the Oriental Morning Post said,
quoting a club official.
The player — dubbed "Devil Beast" by fans — started for Shenhua last
week and scored their final goal in a 3-0 win.
But despite his impact, a boardroom dispute could still see the
departure of the club's foreign players, whose contingent also
includes former France international Nicolas Anelka.
Chief investor Zhu Jun, a flamboyant online gaming tycoon, has
reportedly threatened to withhold the foreign players' salaries he is
bankrolling unless he is granted majority control.
Speaking at a fan event on Thursday, Drogba spoke of "difficulties"
faced by the club but gave no details.
"Although we are now facing some difficulties, we will become
stronger," Drogba said, according to a transcript posted on
government-backed media website Online Shanghai.
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