Official Announcement! The first player to leave Shandong Luneng in the winter window has been revealed, as Choi Kang-hee releases his 29-year-old protégé who scored only 4 goals in two years.
The Chinese Super League (CSL) veteran powerhouse Shandong Taishan team has started their winter training, heading to Shanghai for a training camp to prepare for the new season's matches. In last season's CSL, the Taishan team performed unsatisfactorily, finishing 30 points behind the Port and ranking fifth in the league, missing out on the FA Cup championship. The team needs to make good use of the winter training and transfer window to enhance their strength. Choi Kang-hee's team is preparing for the new season, and now it has been confirmed that a player will be leaving. Official announcement! The first person to leave Luneng in the winter window has been revealed, as Choi Kang-hee releases his 29-year-old protégé: only 4 goals in two years.
On January 9th, Beijing time, the Indonesian Super League team Borneo officially announced that Brazilian foreign aid Matheus Pato will return on a free transfer and will play for the team for the remainder of the season. After Pato's contract expired, he officially left the Taishan team, which is good news for the Taishan team. Because after Choi Kang-hee introduced Pato, the player did not perform outstandingly in the Taishan team, but rather disappointed.
When playing for Borneo in Indonesia, Pato had a single-season record of 32 games with 25 goals and 3 assists, winning the Indonesian Super League Golden Boot. In the summer of 2023, the Taishan team coached by Choi Kang-hee signed Pato for a transfer fee of 350,000 euros. At the end of Pato's career with the Taishan team, he only left behind statistics of 20 appearances, 4 goals, and 3 assists. Pato's characteristics shown in the Taishan team were mediocrity and average ability. For a foreign forward, his performance was unqualified, and he once suffered a serious injury. The transaction of signing Pato was extremely unsuccessful for the Taishan team.
Pato shone in the Indonesian league, but struggled greatly in the CSL, which also shows that the intensity of the Indonesian league is not up to par with the CSL. Choi Kang-hee's Taishan team overestimated Pato's abilities when they signed him and have now chosen to let him go. In fact, Choi Kang-hee's scouting eye has always been relatively poor, and besides Pato, the foreign aid he signed, Kazaishvili, also failed to satisfy the fans. He lacked the ability to compete, had a soft playing style, and his position on the left overlapped with Crescendo's.
Zeka, introduced by Choi Kang-hee, suffered a major injury upon arrival and only returned in the second half of the season. After returning, he avoided playing due to the impact of injuries and could not exert his role as a front-line pivot. The performances of Peng Xinli and Bi Jinzhao, signed by Choi Kang-hee, were average. He allowed Fernandinho to leave mid-season, which also caused the Taishan team to lose a frontcourt explosive point, affecting the team's strength. Choi Kang-hee remains in his position under considerable pressure and needs to prove himself in the next season.