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Sam Hammam told the Western Mail
"We have signed a player who is a folk hero in China. He is their equivalent of David Beckham. Fan joining Cardiff is a major step forward for the club. He has played 107 times for China so this is a big signing for us. I have always admired the attitude of people in the Far East. They have a good attitude and they are very focused. I remember Fan from when I was at Wimbledon. He is super-fit and his positional play and distribution are both excellent.
"All we are waiting for now is for his work permit to be renewed. That shouldn't be a problem. I anticipate it being done in the next few days."
Fan Zhiyi has not played competitive football since the World Cup where he only managed the opeing game for China before missing the other two first round matches with injury. He is looking forward to a new challenge with Cardiff City
"I wanted to join Cardiff because I think they can reach the Premier League. That is my aim - to help Cardiff reach the top division. I thought about joining Cardiff very carefully. I have spoken to Sam and the manager and they are both very ambitious."
"It is because of Lennie Lawrence that I agreed to join Cardiff. The most important thing is that the manager believes in me and I believe in him. A player must be sure he can work with the manager and, after talking with Lennie, I feel I can work with him. I believe I can be an asset to Cardiff and it will be a challenge to help the club go from Division Two to the Premier League."
Fan may need a few weeks to regain match fitness and he has to get his work permit sorted. He will then become the first Chinese player to play for the Bluebirds.
For the full quotes and stories from todays Western Mail click below
China World Cup star has Premier ambitions for City
Newest City recruit among first Chinese to play in UK
Lawrence delighted with his new international signing