The favorite to win the Chinese Super League is coming, signing three major international players and foreign aid strong center forwards, but the coach may leave
Entering 2024, the new season of the Chinese Super League is about to begin. After the humiliation of the Asian Cup, the dissolution of the two former Chinese Super League champions, Dalian and Shenzhen, Chinese football has fallen into a trough. Against this backdrop, what will happen to the Chinese Super League in the new season? There is no doubt that last season's Chinese Super League champions, Shanghai SIPG, are still the favourites to win the championship in the new season. However, there is an established team that has made a big move recently and has become the favorite to win the Chinese Super League in the new season. The signing of four strong reinforcements in a row, including three major international players and a strong foreign aid center, such reinforcements, coupled with the original team, make fans full of expectations. However, the team's head coach is likely to leave before the start of the new Chinese Super League season.
In the Chinese Professional Football League, Shandong Taishan team has always been the backbone of the league. For so many years, Shandong has been the favorite team to win the championship basically every season. Of course, the Shandong Taishan team did not disappoint the supporting fans, winning the championship in the league many times, and also won the double crown. The most helpless period of the Shandong Taishan team was naturally the Chinese Super League Jinyuan football period. Guangzhou Evergrande's crazy investment has allowed it to dominate the Chinese Football League for nearly ten years. During this period, Shandong Taishan can basically only look at the crown and sigh. After the collapse of Jinyuan football, the Shandong Taishan team, which has always focused on youth training, ushered in new development opportunities and once again became the favorite to win the league.
Last season, a series of changes occurred due to the Shandong Taishan team. Including head coach Hao Wei, international players Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, foreign aid Sun Zhunhao and others have been in trouble, plus there have been some scandals, so that the Shandong Taishan team encountered a great setback in the opening stage. Although the well-known Korean coach Choi Kang-hee was coached at the end of the game, he had too many debts in front of him, and in the end, none of them won the championship.
In the new season, Shandong Taishan made a comeback and shot quickly and accurately in the transfer market. Undoubtedly, such a move also shows the ambition of Shandong Taishan team in the new season, that is, to win the championship of the Chinese Super League. Recently, according to relevant media reports, four strong reinforcements have joined Shandong Taishan and will train with the team. The first official announcement is a strong foreign center, Brazilian player Zeca (Zeca) from South Korea's Pohang Steelers (Pohang Steelers) to Shandong Taishan. It is understood that Zeka is 26 years old, 1.92 meters tall, and a center forward on the field, and has played in Brazil, Portugal, and South Korea. He joined Pohang Iron Man from Daegu in January 2023 and made 44 appearances for Pohang, scoring 17 goals and being named in the K1 League Team of the Year.
After Zeka, Shandong Taishan team ushered in three major international players to help. According to reports, the three major domestic players, who were also members of the Chinese men's football team, Bi Jinhao, Gao Zhunyi, and Peng Xinli, have joined Shandong Taishan. Bi Jinhao, 33, plays as a central striker and central defender on the pitch, and played for Changchun Yatai last season, making 17 appearances. Gao Zhunyi, 28, who played for Guangzhou Evergrande, is a defender who played for Wuhan Three Towns last season and made 25 appearances. Peng Xinli, 32, plays as a midfielder who played for Shanghai Shenhua last season and spent the second half of the season on loan at Qingdao Manatee, making 14 appearances and scoring one goal.
The head coach of Shandong Taishan, Cui Kangxi, prefers big centers, so it is not surprising that Zeka and Bi Jinhao have joined. However, Cui Kangxi is at risk of leaving Shandong Taishan. After the Chinese men's football team set a humiliating record in the Asian Cup, head coach Jankovic is basically unlikely to continue as the head coach of the national football team. Judging from the current situation, the head coach of the Shandong Taishan team, Cui Kangxi, is quite popular to succeed Jankovic. If the Chinese Football Association finally sends an invitation to Cui Kangxi, and Cui Kangxi also wants to challenge, then he is likely to leave the post of head coach of Shandong Taishan.