Nico Yennaris has made a permanent move to Beijing Guoan, the club said Thursday, becoming one of the first foreign-born players to be given naturalised citizenship in China. "It's an exciting opportunity for me to play in the birth country of my mother and grandparents," the British midfielder, who started his career at Arsenal, said in a tweet.

The club confirmed the move on its official Twitter-like Weibo account. Fresh from its first Chinese FA Cup win in 15 years, Beijing Guoan has also welcomed 20-year-old Norwegian-born John Hou Saeter, known as Hou Yongyong in China. The midfielder has previously played for Norwegian club Stabaek.

Teams in the Chinese Super League are only allowed to field three foreigners at any league game and naturalising foreign players is seen as a way to get around the quota. The players would have to meet strict eligibility rules if they were to represent China at an international level. In the case of Yennaris and Hou Saeter, FIFA rules require them to live in China for at least five consecutive years after changing nationality before they can play for the national team.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019