The new season of the Chinese Super League (CSL) is set to kick off at the end of March, with the Football Association officially announcing the list of teams that have passed the entry requirements. Among them, Cangzhou from the CSL, Guangzhou and Hunan from the China League One (CL1) did not meet the criteria and have been disbanded. It's a stark contrast to just ten years ago when Guangzhou was celebrating their AFC Champions League victory; now, the team no longer exists, marking the end of an era and the beginning of another.
Currently, all CSL teams have started their recruitment process, with two newly promoted teams, Yunnan Yukuang and Dalian Yingbo, making the most aggressive moves. Yunnan has undergone a major overhaul during the offseason, with 21 players leaving due to expired contracts. This includes 17 domestic players from last season such as Du Jinlong, Liu Yuhao, Zang Yifeng, Li Guangwen, Cui Ming'an, Liu Yi, and Zhong Haoran, who did not receive contract renewals and have all left the team. Last season's starting goalkeeper, Yao Haoyang, left after his loan contract expired, while the team captain, Liu Yi, retired at the end of last season and will join the coaching staff for the new season. In terms of foreign players, Yunnan only retained Romanian midfielder Ionita. Notably, the two newly promoted teams seem to have a good relationship, as Liu Yi, Cao Haqing, Zhao Jianan, who played for Yunnan last season, along with foreign player Labiadi, have all transferred to Dalian for the new season.
Among them, Cao Haqing and Liu Yi were absolute mainstays for Yunnan last season, with the former playing 27 games, scoring 1 goal and providing 3 assists. Liu Yi played 22 games and provided 1 assist. Labiadi is also a cost-effective foreign player. In terms of recruitment, it has been confirmed that Zhang Chenliang, the captain of Shijiazhuang Gongfu, 23-year-old Guangxi Pingguo Hallo full-back Zhang Xiangshuo, and Li Songyi, the central defender whose contract expired with Henan Team, have all joined the team. In addition, midfielders Ye Chugui from Meizhou Hakka, Zhang Yufeng from Changchun Yatai, and Duan Dezhi from Beijing Guoan are currently training with the team.
The biggest-name domestic signing is former Cangzhou foreign player Oscar, whose naturalization procedures are almost complete, and he is expected to play as a domestic player in the new season. Judging from recent training photos, Oscar appears to have gained significant weight, which may be attributed to securing a lucrative contract and enjoying good meals recently. However, Yunnan's progress in recruiting foreign players has not been smooth. Zui, the midfielder from last season's Changchun team, who was in negotiations, has joined Thai League powerhouse Buriram United.
Regarding the defensive line, Serbian central defender Tzernomakovic, who was brought in, has not yet officially signed. There are rumors that Tzernomakovic left Yunnan shortly after arriving, and it is still unclear whether this Serbian defender can successfully sign a contract.
On the other hand, Dalian's five foreign players have been basically confirmed, including forwards Marele from Shanghai Shenhua, Labiadi from Yunnan, and Kalanga, who remained with the team. The midfield features North Macedonian international Amiri, and the defense is bolstered by foreign player Mamadou from Beijing.
The gap between the CSL and CL1 is still quite significant, and success in promotion often means a large number of players must leave the team. No wonder many promotion teams collectively slow down in the second half of the season. We look forward to the performance of the two newly promoted teams in the new season of the Chinese Super League.