There have been a lot of question marks over Yaya Toure’s future after he left Manchester City at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
The midfielder departed the Etihad Stadium a City legend and with few qualms about finding his next move.
It’s not quite worked out for the one-time Barcelona man. First, there was talk from Toure’s agent that he had agreed on a move to a London club, with Manuel Pelligrini’s West Ham linked, but that never materialised.
There has been speculation about a move abroad, with some of Europe’s most established clubs circling, yet, Toure never put pen to paper. Instead, there was a three-month stint with Olympiakos in Greece, with his last appearance coming in December last year.
He’s been without a club since and there was even talk of Toure retiring, although he quickly shot that down. Now, the 36-year-old has a new challenge ahead, having finally found himself a suitable deal.
While many may have predicted Toure would finish his playing days in China, few would have imaged it would be in the second division.
But, Toure has now been confirmed as the latest recruit for Qingdao Huanghai, who have splashed the cash to secure his signature.
Toure said: "Since the start of my career I have always loved challenges and now I will make history once again with Qingdao Huanghai."
He added: "I can't wait to let my football do the magic once again."
Qingdao Huanghai currently lead the 16-team division by four points, with the campaign nearing the half-way mark.
The top two teams in the division will be promoted to the Chinese Super League, which could see Toure reunited with other former Premier League stars such as Oscar, Javier Mascherano, Graziano Pelle and Mousa Dembele.
