CROAT striker Nikica Jelavic has quit English Premier League club West Ham to join Chinese second division side Beijing Renhe, the London side announced Tuesday.

    Jelavic, 30, had made just one Premier League start since joining the Hammers in the summer, having fallen further down the West Ham pecking order after the arrival of Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike in the January transfer window.

    “Nikica Jelavic has completed his move to Chinese second division team Beijing Renhe. Good luck Nikica,” tweeted West Ham co-chairman David Gold.

    Jelavic, who managed three goals in all competitions but has mostly been used off the bench, is the latest of series of Premier League stars to move to China, but the first big name to go outside the top flight.

    Renhe finished 15th in the Chinese Super League last year and was relegated to the China League One, the second tier. The cash-rich Chinese leagues have captured headlines recently with a number of big-money transfer coups and the window there remains open until Feb. 26.

    The likes of Jackson Martinez, Ramires and Gervinho have been the most eye-grabbing names to join in recent weeks, while Jelavic’s deal shows the money is not just in the Super League.

    (SD-Agencies)