JERUSALEM, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel international midfielder Eden Kartsev, who recently played for the country's champions Maccabi Tel Aviv, has joined Shenzhen Peng City of the Chinese Super League (CSL), the club said on Sunday.
The Chinese team, coached by Spain's Jesus Tato, is currently ranked 12th in its first season in the CSL, having been promoted last year after finishing first in China League One.
24-year-old Kartsev played for five Israeli clubs, including Maccabi Tel Aviv, before moving in January 2023 to Istanbul Basaksehir of the Turkish Super League, with whom he finished in fifth place.
Midway through last season, Kartsev returned on loan for a second period at Maccabi, helping them win the Israeli Super League for the first time since 2020.
He also has five appearances for the Israel national team, the first coming in 2020 against the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League.
Kartsev, who has moved to China on loan from the Turkish team, is the fifth Israeli player ever to join a Chinese club.
The other four are defender Liron Zarko, who played for Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic in 2009, forwards Eran Zahavi and Dia Saba, who both played for Guangzhou R&F in the previous decade, and defender Yahav Gurfinkel, who currently plays for third-placed Chengdu Rongcheng.
The most successful Israeli player in China is Zahavi, who had been the CSL's top scorer in 2017 and 2019, and the league's Player of the Year in 2017. ■
