Back in La Liga and back among the goals－that's the plan for Wu Lei next season after Espanyol secured a return to Spain's top flight at the first attempt last weekend.

The Chinese striker has been a bit-part player for the Barcelona-based club this term, with his 66th-minute introduction off the bench in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Real Zaragoza typical of his frustrating campaign－when minutes and goals have been scarce for the 29-year-old.

Wu's tribulations have sparked speculation he could choose to call it quits at Espanyol and seek a fresh start at another European club or back in China.

However, speaking before Saturday's promotion-clinching victory, Wu was again keen to stress his commitment to the club where he began his European adventure in such promising fashion just over three years ago.

"Just like I wrote in my personal blog many times before－once you chose a path, no matter how difficult it can be for you, you need to try your best to keep moving forward," Wu told thepaper.cn.

"I never said I can no longer keep playing with Espanyol. But some media or fans might think this way. This is all outside noise. I will keep on fighting for my foreign career."

Saturday's result meant Espanyol clinched promotion with four games to spare. It currently leads the Spanish second division on 78 points, six ahead of second-place Real Mallorca.

Having fallen down the pecking order at the club, Wu has contributed only three goals and two assists in 32 appearances－10 of those starts－in all competitions this term.

Wu's struggles have been magnified by the burden of becoming the only Chinese international to play in a major European league when he arrived at Espanyol from Shanghai Port (then known as Shanghai SIPG) in 2018.

He hit the ground running in Spain, becoming the first Chinese player to score in La Liga and helping the team rise from relegation trouble to Europa League qualification in 2019.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point in Wu's fortunes, with the forward and his wife testing positive for the coronavirus last March.

When he finally returned to the pitch after beating the virus, Wu failed to avert Espanyol's relegation to the second tier.

The team's slide has not been helped by a revolving door of head coaches in recent seasons. Current boss Vicente Moreno is the sixth head coach Wu has worked under at Espanyol, and Wu clearly has his work cut out to persuade Moreno he should be in his starting XI every week.

Wu, though, has been keen to play down the idea that Moreno is the source of his problems on the pitch.

"I saw some fans online blame the head coach. I understand the frustration of my fans, but this is truly unnecessary," Wu wrote on his blog earlier this year.

"The responsibility of a head coach is to lead the team to victory. So from this point of view, the coach is doing a great job."

And having apparently settled well into life in Spain, uprooting his young family again to restart his career elsewhere is surely a decision Wu would not take lightly.

"April 23 is St. George's Day and here (in Catalonia) it is known as The Day of Lovers… Despite the pandemic changing many people's habits, still many local people came out to buy flowers and books," Wu wrote on his blog last week.

"That just made me realize how time flies. I still remember two years ago when my wife and I participated in the St. George's Day celebration for the first time.

"We were so curious and everything was new to us. And while we walked around, we saw a promotional site for our club, so I just went over there to have photos with our fans…I just hope I can keep the same passion as when I arrived here initially, both on and off the pitch."

Team China calling

Wu will now turn his attention to Team China's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, having been unable to participate in any national squad training camps last year due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

According to reports, Wu will return to Shanghai later this month, and upon completion of his medical quarantine, will join the national team.

China's hopes of booking a ticket to the finals in Qatar are slim, however. With four games left to play in the Asian zone's Group A, China is eight points adrift of leader Syria and only leads third-place Philippines on goal difference. The eight group winners and four best second-place finishers will enter the next phase of qualifying.

China will next face the Maldives and Guam at the end of this month before taking on the Philippines and Syria.

Coach Li Tie's squad will at least enjoy home advantage, with all remaining Group A matches to be played in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

"Despite Wu Lei missing six Team China training camps, his strength has been recognized by the national squad's coaches," read a recent Beijing Youth Daily commentary.

"That's why Wu Lei is always included in the WeChat group for members of the national team training camp. He has always been a vital player for the national team."

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