Recently, according to domestic football insiders, the head coach of Shandong Taishan, Choi Kang-hee, has started scouting for suitable candidates to reinforce the team. At the same time, Choi Kang-hee recommended Brazilian Serie A midfielder Gomes to join Shandong Taishan. The 26-year-old Gomes is in his prime and is an absolute starter in the Brazilian league. However, Gomes' salary and transfer fee requirements are not high, with a transfer fee of only 400,000 euros and a post-tax annual salary of 700,000 euros.
Many Shandong fans believe that Choi Kang-hee's recommendation of this new foreign aid is stronger than Pato, who was introduced in the 2023 season. Pato failed to deliver convincing performances after joining Shandong Taishan in 2023. Instead, he missed several opportunities in the game, quickly earning him the label of a "flop." Additionally, Shandong Taishan spent more than ten million yuan on Pato.
Spending over ten million yuan to introduce Pato did not have the desired reinforcing effect, naturally leading many fans to question Choi Kang-hee's judgment. Shandong fans believe that listening to Choi Kang-hee and introducing Pato was a wrong decision. Pato had never even played in the Brazilian league, only winning the golden boot in the Indonesian league. Winning the golden boot in the Indonesian league is not very convincing.
Therefore, Shandong fans had little confidence in Pato's ability to establish himself after joining the club. As expected, Pato performed mediocrely at Shandong Taishan and was directly labeled a flop. In this situation, Shandong Taishan's head coach Choi Kang-hee also learned from the experience and brought in Gomes to strengthen the midfield. Gomes is an absolute starter in the Brazilian league and will definitely be a step down in the Chinese Super League.
Furthermore, Shandong Taishan's recruitment from the Brazilian league has generally been successful. The most successful recruitment from the Brazilian league was probably the big-name playmaker Moises. After joining Shandong Taishan, Moises had excellent passing and shooting performances. Shandong Taishan's ability to win the double championship in the 2021 season, both in the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup, was largely due to Moises' contributions. It is hoped that the 26-year-old Gomes can also reach new heights after joining Shandong Taishan, just like Moises.