Nigeria international Brown Ideye has ended his troubled one-year stay in China by completing a six-month loan to La Liga club Malaga.
The 29-year-old returns to Europe after his initial arrival in Switzerland a decade ago after Malaga announced his acquisition from Tianjin TEDA on their official website on Monday afternoon.
"Brown Ideye is on loan to Málaga CF for the remainder of the season, from Chinese outfit, Tianjin Teda," the statement began.
"The striker successfully passed the relevant medical examination at Vithas Salud Rincón Medical Center Rosaleda."
Ideye only moved to the Chinese Super League from Olympiakos a year ago, but only belatedly found form - scoring four in 14 outings - after initially struggling to settle.
However, following the dismissal of Jamie Pacheco, the manager who signed him to Tianjin TEDA, Ideye was deemed surplus to requirements and demoted to the club's reserve team.
Brown now joins a Malaga side who sit bottom of the Spanish top flight and, as the division's lowest scorers, are in desperate need of goals.
He follows in the footsteps of Ikechukwu Uche, who had a brief spell with the Albiceleste, and has an opportunity to re-establish himself in European football after spending time with Neuchâtel Xamax, Sochaux, Dynamo Kyiv and West Bromwich Albion.
