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Chinese star Zhang Xizhe’s transfer from Beijing Guoan to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg was completed on Tuesday with his first press conference screened live on the mainland.
The 23-year-old has been given a contract until 2017 with Wolfsburg to pay Beijing Gouan a reported transfer sum of US$935,000 for the attacking midfielder.
Zhang proved he already has an impressive grasp of German by introducing himself in the language.
“Today is one which has a lot of meaning for me, I am delighted to be able to play for such an excellent club in the Bundesliga,” he said.
“I am ready to do my best to integrate within the team, I hope to have a lot of success and fun here.
“It’s a dream to be able to play in a European league.

	I am ready to do my best to integrate within the team, I hope to have a lot of success and fun here

	Zhang Xizhe
“I have been watching all of Wolfsburg’s games for the last year and it will be fantastic to play alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Vieirinha.
“I have been learning German here and there, it’s not been easy as I have had little free time, but now I’ll be able to learn the language properly.”
Should Zhang successfully transfer his Chinese Super League form to the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg will have signed a bargain.
But he will be given an extended period to adjust to the physicality of German football, the culture and the language.
“He is quick and can play in all the positions behind the strikers,” said Wolfsburg’s coach Dieter Hecking with Wolfsburg to hold a training camp in Cape Town, South Africa, in January.
“He has to first of all find his feet with us and get used to the level of training.
“He has to learn our system and my coaching style, he will need a bit of patience.
“There is no set date when he will play, but the main thing is for him to be fit when training starts on January 5.
“But I don’t think any of us could have spoken Chinese the way he just spoke German, so he has already demonstrated his professionalism.”
Zhang arrived in Germany on Saturday and was in the crowd to watch his new team’s 1-1 draw against Paderborn on Sunday which left them second in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich.
“He’s one of the best players in China and while the interest his signing has already generated in the Chinese and German media is great, this is no public relations stunt,” said Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs.
Wolves are on course to play in the Champions League next season and the club’s website was launched in Chinese on Monday.
Zhang has made 10 international appearances for China and scored his first of two international goals in a 6-1 thrashing of Singapore in September 2013.
China’s Young Player of 2012 will become the only active Chinese player in the German league, but not the first.
He will follow in the footsteps of Hao Junmin, who made 14 league appearances for Schalke 04 in 2010 and 2011; Shao Jiayi, who joined 1860 Munich in 2003, then Energie Cottbus in 2006; and striker Yang Chen, who made 65 Bundesliga appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt up until 2001, scoring 16 goals.


China star Zhang Xizhe signs for Wolfsburg

Zhang Xizhe displays his Wolfsburg jersey. Photo: Xinhua


Zhang Xizhe, Wolfsburg head coach Dieter Hecking (right) and Wolfsburg manager Klaus Allofs display different versions of Zhang's jersey. Photo: Xinhua

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