Former coach of the Barculona B team Jordi Vinyals said on March 8 that he had extended his contract with Qingdao Huanghai FC, a club in China's second-tier League One, to 2020.

Joining Huanghai in 2015, Vinyals helped the team jump from 11th place to third in the last season.

"The league's competition will be fiercer next season, but I believe we will do better," said Vinyals, a member of the first generation of Barcelona's La Masia system.

Huanghai players are adapting to Barcelona's system, including training, strategies and techniques, which are advanced soccer concepts and will provide a major boost to the team, Vinyals said.

The 2017 season of the Chinese League One will kick off this Saturday. Zhang Qing, president of the club, said Huanghai aimed to secure a sixth-place finish, and will strive for second next season.

Vinyals added Spanish midfielder Joan Verdu and five domestic footballers to the team during the winter market.