Sampaoli's China link

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Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli is seen before the match at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, on June 30, 2018.

The future of China's national team would appear to lie in the hands of Argentine Jorge Sampaoli, if reports in Chilean media can be believed.


Santiago-based tabloid La Cuarta on the weekend claimed Sampaoli, who left his role as Argentina coach following a disappointing World Cup campaign in July, is "one step away" from succeeding Italian Marcello Lippi as Team China's head coach.


Lippi last month confirmed he will not be renewing his contract, which expires early next year. The newspaper reported Sampaoli's representatives are already in talks with the Chinese Football Association.


The 58-year-old Sampaoli has been on the lookout for a new post after paying the price for Argentina's ignominious summer World Cup campaign in Russia, which saw the South American giant struggle to qualify from its group before crashing out to eventual winner France in the last 16.


He had initially being hailed as something of a savior, having been installed as coach in May 2017 when the team's qualifications hopes were hanging by a thread.


However, after performing a minor miracle to reach the finals, Sampaoli's inability to gel the squad's considerable talents and keep superstar Lionel Messi happy in Russia left the Argentine Football Association with little choice but to dispense with his services as fans and media called for his head.


Officially, the former Sevilla boss left the post "by mutual consent".


Sampaoli shot to prominence as coach of Chile, which he helmed to its first Copa America title in 2015 with the esteemed attacking talents of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas.


Qualifying China for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would arguably trump his success with Chile.


La Cuarta's report claimed Sampaoli's salary will be in excess of $10 million. The CFA paid Lippi $20 million.


Chinese social media mainly greeted the news of Sampaoli's arrival positively, with one fan describing the anticipated appointment as a "birthday gift".


After the travails of world-beater Lippi, however, renowned sports TV anchor and commentator Han Qiaosheng cautioned against too much optimism.


"Given the current performance of China's national soccer team, no one can make a real difference," Han wrote on Weibo on Monday.


"No matter who is the driver, if you don't have a great car, you still cannot speed the vehicle on the highway.


"If we're not keeping Lippi, we should use domestic coaches. We are used to Team China's performance now, so it's OK that there are no groundbreaking changes in recent years. However, we should focus on and invest in youth training."


Despite a glittering managerial resume that included winning the 2006 World Cup with Italy, Lippi's two-year stint at China's helm has delivered little to cheer about as the nation once again failed to qualify for the World Cup. China's lone finals appearance came in 2002.


The 70-year-old has one last chance to bow out on a high at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates (Jan 5-Feb 1).


Despite claiming China has improved during his reign, Lippi is steering an aging squad, prompting the CFA to recently instigate a number of measures to breathe new life into the youth ranks.


Respected Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who took South Korea to a World Cup semifinal, has been tasked with leading China's under-21 squad to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.


An autumn training sojourn in the Netherlands has paid early dividends for Hiddink, with the 72-year-old's charges beating Thailand 1-0 and drawing with Iceland 1-1 at a four-nation invitational tournament in Chongqing last week.


As well, 55 of the nation's top under-25 players were last month whisked away to a military-style training camp in Shandong province, which is due to wrap up in December.


A new under-23 league involving clubs from the top three tiers of the domestic game is also set to kick off next month.


There have also been other glimmers of hope in the Chinese Super League, including Wu Lei's golden-boot clinching 27-goal tally for new CSL champion Shanghai SIPG providing some much-needed cheer.


If Sampaoli does take China's reins, harnessing Wu's scoring prowess on the international stage should be a top priority for the Argentine.


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