The former Southampton and Newcastle stars have got off the mark at their new club Shandong.
Graziano Pelle celebrates after scoring for Italy
Former Southampton forward Graziano Pelle seems to be quickly settling in at new club Shandong Luneng Taishan, scoring his first goal for them in Wednesday night’s 4-1 win over Hangzhou Greentown.
The Italian is said to be one of the best paid strikers in the world after leaving Southampton for the Chinese Superleague, where he is managed by former Fulham boss Felix Magath.
Pelle made his debut on Saturday, starting in a 1-1 draw away to Liaoning, but in his first home appearance for his new club, he managed to find the net late on, planting a superb header past the opposition goalkeeper.
And he quickly took to Twitter after the game to celebrate opening his account.
Shandong’s victory was a match of more than one first, with former Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse, himself having left the Premier League for China this summer, also scoring his first goal for the club.
Papiss Cisse and Andre Wisdom
Cisse left the Magpies this month after four years, and like Pelle, found the net in his second appearance for the club. The former Senegal striker, who had injury problems last season, scoring just three times, has come on from the bench in both of his matches so far.
Cisse and Pelle are expected to help Shandong climb the table after a poor first half of the season.
Pelle scored 14 goals last season for Southampton, going through patches of good and bad form. However, he impressed in Italy’s European Championship campaign, scoring twice in four matches as the Azzurri exited at the quarter-final stage in France.
Graziano Pelle celebrates after scoring for Southampton
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