The Chinese second-division club Shenzhen published a poem on their website to welcome the return of Wang Baoshan as head coach, a move that signalled the end of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s tenure.

Eriksson, a former England, Manchester City and Lazio manager, was charged with getting the club into the Chinese Super League when he took over from the former Dutch international Clarence Seedorf last December.

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However, he failed to inspire a promotion charge and mustered only five wins from 13 league games. The Guangdong-based side are fourth in League One having drawn two and lost seven of their past nine games in all competitions and have confirmed Eriksson’s departure on their website.

Before that confirmation, though, came a poem to welcome back the former China striker Wang. No mention was made of Eriksson’s sacking in that statement or, at that point, on the club website.

The poem read:

Eleven years ago, you led Shenzhen football and never let us down.

Nine years ago, you took over responsibilities and saved Shenzhen football.

Memories of fighting together have never gone away, and now we recall the legend.

For Shenzhen, we are reunited, starting a new trip together.

Coach Wang, welcome home.

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Later came a statement announcing that Eriksson had gone. “The negotiations between the two sides were very smooth, leaving only some details to be completed by lawyers,” it said.

Eriksson took over at the start of the year having steered Shanghai SIPG to third place in the Chinese Super League last season and to the last eight of the Asian Champions League.

He moved to China in 2013 to take charge of Guangzhou R&F, a club he also guided to the Asian Champions League before moving to Shanghai two years later for a two-season stint.