Shandong Taishan fans who are concerned about the team's contract renewal status may be relieved, because the team has recently completed the renewal with a number of first-team players, including the main force and substitutes, including some veterans. Among them, the longest contract was renewed to 2026.
Wang Dalei, Liu Binbin and Zheng Zheng, who have been selected for the national football training list for many times, have all been updated. Wang Dalei was renewed until the end of 2024, while Zheng Zheng and Liu Binbin were both after the end of the 2026 season. Shandong Taishan won the Chinese Super League and FA Cup last season, and all three players played an important role in the process. Among them, Liu Binbin played 19 games in the Chinese Super League and provided 5 assists for his teammates, while Zheng Zheng played in 27 games in the league and the FA Cup, scoring 2 goals.
Retaining the main force often means that the overall strength of the team is guaranteed, but to a certain extent, it will also suppress the growth of young players. In the 2021 season, Wang Dalei played 20 games in the Chinese Super League, but at the same time, Han Rongze, who was born in 1993, only got 2 chances. Although Han Rongze has made great progress in recent years, perhaps because there are not many opportunities for exercise, there is still a certain gap from Wang Dalei at his peak. If Wang Dalei retreats to the second line, who can top in time to become the main goalkeeper of Shandong Taishan?
Veterans Dai Lin and Zhang Chi were also successfully renewed. Both were born in 1987 and are close to the twilight of their careers, with the former having a marked decline in form in recent years and always seemingly on the sidelines, while the latter is plagued by injuries. Many fans thought that Shandong Taishan would give up these two old ministers, but the team eventually gave them a contract extension. Dai Lin and Zhang Chi have both been extended to the end of the 2023 season, when the two will turn 36 or even close to 37 years old, and it is estimated that they are likely to hang up their boots. That is to say, Shandong Taishan is most likely the last stop of Dai Lin and Zhang Chi's playing careers.
In addition, some substitute players such as Qi Tianyu and Wang Tong have also completed the renewal of their contracts. In the new season, Shandong Taishan will face multi-line combat, so more manpower is needed, and this is also a good opportunity for the substitute players to show themselves.
As of now, neither Cheng Yuan nor Xu Xin has been renewed. Cheng Yuan was arrested for beating people at the end of last season and caused a bad impact, coupled with the expiration of his contract, Shandong Taishan estimated that it was difficult to continue to keep him. Cheng Yuan is from the local youth training of Shandong football, and although he plays as a center forward on the field, he basically cannot score the ball. Although he has won the Reserve League Golden Boot, the level is far from the main player in the Chinese Super League. Xu Xin, who joined Guangzhou at the beginning of the 2021 season, originally had the opportunity to get a contract extension, but he seemed to be aiming elsewhere and was unwilling to stay in the team to continue to play. When he joined, Xu Xin signed a "1+4" contract with Shandong Taishan, and now that "1" has expired, both parties have the right to choose whether to continue to implement "4".
After completing the renewal of most of the main players of the first team, Shandong Taishan, a powerhouse in the Chinese Super League, may next start to add new signings or clean up players who are not planned. Li Mingpan and Chen Zhechao have left, and I don't know which players will leave the team next.