Shanghai Port won the domestic double last season, but the championship squad quickly disbanded. The club is set to rebuild its team during a busy winter transfer window. Oscar was the first to leave, followed by Bargas, who will no longer play for Shanghai Port next season. Their departures have had a significant impact on the team. Now, another player has left the club. After releasing Bargas, Shanghai Port announced the third departure of the winter window! A 27-year-old veteran bid an emotional farewell to the team.
Oscar was the midfield core of Shanghai Port, playing 248 games for the team, scoring 77 goals and providing 141 assists. He is the third-highest scorer in the club's history, behind Wu Lei with 238 goals and Lü Wenjun with 105 goals. Bargas played 85 times for Shanghai Port, scoring 20 goals and assisting 30 times, also a key player for the club.
On the last day of 2024, local Shanghai Port player Li Shenyuan posted on social media, documenting his time at the club and the team honors he achieved, bidding farewell to the team. He wrote: "From 2014 to 2024, a decade comes to a brief end. Thank you to the club for nurturing me, thank you to everyone. Farewell for now, until we meet again, keep moving forward." Li Shenyuan progressed from the Shanghai Port youth training system to the reserve team and then to the first team, serving the club for ten years.
Li Shenyuan represented the Shanghai National Games team in the Youth Games and the National Games, winning two championships. He also helped Shanghai Port win the U23 league title and achieved honors in youth competitions. As a right-back, he won two Chinese Super League titles and one Super Cup with the first team. His best season was in 2021 when he made 22 appearances, starting 19 times, scoring 4 goals and providing 5 assists. Last season, Li Shenyuan was loaned to Changchun Yatai, making 27 appearances and starting 24 times, contributing one assist, helping coach Xie Hui's team successfully avoid relegation.
Li Shenyuan's contract with Shanghai Port expired at the end of last year, and like Oscar and Bargas, he left as a free agent. It was foreseeable that Li Shenyuan would leave Shanghai Port due to fierce competition at the right-back position, with players like Wang Zhen'ao, Wang Shenchao, and Fu Huan capable of playing there. Free agent Tomorrow is a potential new signing for Shanghai Port, also a right-back. Staying at Shanghai Port would not be beneficial for Li Shenyuan's playing time. He is expected to continue playing for Yatai under coach Xie Hui. If Shanghai Port wants to compete for the title next season, they need to act quickly in terms of recruitment, especially in selecting foreign players, as the challenges ahead are significant.