A recent survey looking at the impact of Wu Lei's signing for Espanyol concluded that 89% of Chinese football fans now support the club.

The survey also found that 11.5% of La Liga matches watched across Asia involve Espanyol.

"Wu Lei is a winning bet because he exemplifies the balance between the sporting value of the player and the commercial benefits to his brand. It's logical to think that next season we'll see a more commercial development for the club and it wouldn't be strange to see a list of sponsors arrive based on how attractive Wu Lei is for the Chinese market," said Diego Barnas, who conducted the study.