Home And Away | No comfort for fans of Chinese clubs after another raid on the bargain basement of foreign players

God works in mysterious ways. A year ago, he was telling Watford striker Odion Ighalo to resist temptation and turn down a £10 million offer from Hebei China Fortune to go east.

The Chinese club offered the Nigerian international £200,000 a week on four-year contract.

Ighalo couldn’t sleep for three days. His conscience nagged. He was on a roll with 14 goals – so why tempt fate? One of the Premier League big boys might come calling. But then again, they might not.

His teammates were telling him not to look a gift horse in the mouth and just sign, for heaven’s sake. That kind of money is not easy to turn down. He twisted and turned. Exhausted and torn, he looked toward the deity.

“I prayed about it, and God said it was not for me, no matter how much money it was. I knew God would direct me,” said the devout Christian, who dedicates all of his goals to God.

He declared he was staying put at the yo-yoing mediocre club just north of London, where little happens apart from a cup tie every century or so, relegation and promotion here and there, and ever rarer sightings of iconic piano player and club hero Elton John.