Just months after joining the team, striker Nicolas Anelka has been appointed as a coach with struggling Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.
The club has won just one of its first five games in the Chinese Super League, a disappointing start after signing the former Real Madrid and Chelsea star on a contract that reportedly made him the highest-paid player in the world.
A team statement said that due to the poor start ''and the fact the foreign players are in urgent need of high-quality training the club has made the decision to replace some members of the coaching staff.''
Anelka is helping train the team, said team spokesman Ma Yue. ''He is now both a player and a coach, but he is not the main coach,'' Ma said.
The French forward has scored twice in four games so far this season, but Shanghai Shenhua has won just one game, while drawing two and losing two.
Shenhua said four coaches from Britain and France are due to join as assistants to head coach Jean Tigana, the former coach of Monaco and English Premier League club Fulham, who was appointed as coach late last year.
Chinese professional teams have signed more foreign coaches and players in recent years to boost the quality of the struggling league.
