BEIJING, Feb. 10 -- China midfielder Zhou Haibin expects to settle in nicely with Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven after watching the league giants crush FC Volendam 5-3 on Sunday.

    "PSV is a very strong team. Every player on the pitch showed their skill, passion and professionalism," Zhou, who had his first training session with the squad yesterday, told China's Titan Sports.

    "But I have confidence in myself. As long as I play my best game, I will gel with the team and become a part of it."

    Chinese Super League champs Shandong Luneng agreed on a free transfer for the playmaker, who signed a one-year deal with PSV after the Chinese Football Association (CFA) released him. The contract includes an option to extend for a further two-and-a-half seasons.

    The move was expected to happen sooner but previous efforts to sign the midfielder were hamstrung by administrative hurdles.

    PSV registered Zhou before the end of the winter transfer window but neither side mentioned this to Shandong fearing the club would again try to block the move.

    While the Chinese system allows clubs to continue exercising control over players for several years beyond the end of their contract, FIFA rules now see Zhou as a free agent.

    As such, he is immediately eligible to play in the Eredivisie despite having been technically signed after the transfer window closed.

    Zhou will be the third Chinese player to ply his trade in the Dutch league after former stints there by Sun Xiang (PSV) and Yu Hai (Vitesse).

    Sun failed to pass muster in the far more competitive and muscular league while Yu was let go for financial reasons.

    "The Dutch league is of a much higher level than the domestic (Chinese) league," said Zhou, who anticipates a tough battle for a midfield spot until Edison Mendez, who scored a brace over the weekend, leaves as planned during the summer window.

    "I do not care who leaves or who stays. All I can do here is train and play my best soccer. I believe I'm capable of winning a place in the team.

    "I have not trained for half a month and I will try to get back to my best form as soon as possible."

    Zhou, who won two Chinese Super League titles in six years at Shandong, made his international debut against Japan in 2003 and has since become a fixture in China's underperforming team.

    China's Bosman

    Zhou's move also challenges and somehow ridicules the right of Chinese clubs to retain the registration of out-of-contract players.

    The 23-year-old, dubbed "China's Bosman" by local media, finished his contract with Shandong at the end of last season and has since been negotiating a move to the Dutch champions.

    The CFA however, instituted a rule in 2007 that allows Chinese clubs to retain the registration of players for 30 months after the expiration of their contracts.

    Zhou's agent, surnamed Wu, said PSV had gone ahead with signing the player despite Shandong's reported objections.

    The affair has attracted a lot of attention and state news agency Xinhua issued an opinion piece last Thursday that heavily criticized the CFA for the rule, which it said was outdated and reflected the backwardness of the game in China.

    The Bosman Ruling, inspired by the case of Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman and established by the European Court of Justice in 1995, barred the payment of fees for players out of contract and transformed the transfer market in Europe.

    (Source: China Daily/Agencies)