Fabio Cannavaro in the dark as Guangzhou Evergrande owner vows shake-up at crisis club

Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande are set for swingeing changes and are likely to raid Europe for new signings as a sense of crisis envelops Fabio Cannavaro’s dejected side.

But under the Italian World Cup winner Cannavaro they have failed to win in six games, tumbling out of the Champions League and Chinese FA Cup, and are in danger of surrendering their CSL crown.

They are fifth in the league following a 2-0 defeat on Sunday at promoted Beijing Renhe and immediately afterwards owner Xu Jiayin signalled that his patience had run out.

Guangzhou Daily and Xinhua news agency cited Xu as saying that they would “adjust” the club’s foreign stars and warned that older domestic players were also in danger in the cull.

Cannavaro, the Italian World Cup winner who took over as coach from the Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari in the close season, is not thought to be imminently facing the sack, local media said.

But the 44-year-old said he had not been told of the drastic transfer plans announced by Xu.

“But if the chairman decides to do it, we will definitely do it,” Guangzhou Daily quoted Cannavaro as saying after the Beijing defeat.