Noel Mbo has completed a move from Malaysian side Kelantan TRW to Chinese outfit GX Hengchen on a free transfer, signing a contract that runs from 2026-03-03 to 2027-12-31. The England/DR Congo centre-forward joins the League One club with a current market value listed at €275k.
The transfer sees GX Hengchen recruit a 26-year-old attacking focal point who has built a diverse career across several countries and leagues. Mbo arrives from the Malaysian Super League, where he had been on the books of Kelantan TRW, and will now continue his career in China’s League One, adding another stop to an already well-travelled résumé.
Born on 14/03/1999 and standing 1.85m tall, Mbo is a right-footed centre-forward whose career began in England with Gillingham FC and its U18 side, following an earlier spell at Hampton & Richmond Borough. He also had multiple loan stints at Kingstonian FC during the 2017–18 campaign before establishing himself in senior football. In 2019 he left England for Sweden, joining Helsingborgs IF and briefly turning out on loan for Eskilsminne IF, experience that gave him his first taste of football outside the UK.
After becoming a free agent in early 2022, the forward rebuilt his value in Lithuania. He signed for FC Džiugas Telšiai and then moved to FK Panevezys, where his market value rose steadily, peaking at €300k in late 2023 and mid-2024. From there, Mbo switched to Vietnam with Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC and later Cong An Ho Chi Minh City FC, remaining in the Vietnamese top flight before taking up an opportunity in Malaysia with Kelantan TRW.
That stint in Malaysia coincided with his current valuation of €275k, recorded while he was still with Kelantan TRW in late 2025. The free transfer to GX Hengchen therefore represents a low-risk acquisition for the Chinese club relative to his assessed market value, while giving Mbo another platform in a growing league.
Across his career, the Anglo–Congolese striker has featured in league systems in England, Sweden, Lithuania, Vietnam, Malaysia and now China. He has consistently been deployed through the middle as a centre-forward, with clubs using his physical profile and right-footed finishing as a central reference point in attack rather than in wider roles.
GX Hengchen, competing in China’s League One, gain a player already accustomed to adapting to new football cultures and styles. For Mbo, the move extends a pattern of playing abroad rather than settling in his birth country’s leagues. With his contract secured until 2027-12-31, the forward now has a clear window in which to establish himself in China and potentially elevate both his reputation and market value in another competitive environment.
