The main defenders have been replaced by three new players, and the Tianjin Tigers have completed their domestic player reinforcements. Salvador has joined the team, and new signings are competing for starting positions.
The Tianjin Tigers are not known for being early birds or late risers; they have been methodical in their recruitment process, which can be considered relatively efficient in the Chinese Super League (CSL). The Zhejiang team's foreign center forward deal fell through, and there is no definitive news about the Shandong Taishan team's new foreign player. However, the Tianjin Tigers have concluded their domestic player acquisitions. Head coach Yu Genwei addressed the team, stating, "We will not be signing any more domestic players this year. The platform is here, and it's a fair competition." Two key players, Han Pengfei and Tomorrow, have left the team, and the Tigers have officially announced the signing of Sun Mingqian. In a video released by Yu Genwei, Yang Fan is also included.
Compared to last season, all three main defenders of the Tianjin Tigers have been replaced. The second-half mainstay Diogo has left the team, and Grant has returned. Last year, he only played 11 times and was withdrawn from the squad due to injury, effectively becoming a newcomer who needs to re-acclimate with the team. The main central defender Han Pengfei chose to join Chengdu Rongcheng to play in the AFC Champions League, and Tomorrow's transfer to Shanghai Port has been updated on Transfermarkt, posing a challenge to Yu Genwei's player selection. The Tianjin Tigers have a one-for-one approach to domestic player signings, without stockpiling players, and multiple positions have players of similar abilities.
Transfermarkt has updated the signing of Salvador, a foreign player for the Tianjin Tigers, with an 800,000 Euro valuation but only costing 350,000 Euros, another great find. His technical style is very similar to that of another Spanish foreign player who once served the Tigers, Merida, capable of both attacking and defending, and able to hold his own in midfield. Croatian club NK Rijeka announced the signing of Skoric, with Salvador as his replacement. The foreign center forward for the Tianjin Tigers remains uncertain, with no clear choice yet.
In the post-Golden Football era, the Tianjin Tigers can be considered a "commoner" team, with no big-name foreign players and a focus on cost-effectiveness. In the past two seasons, apart from free transfers, none of their foreign player transfer fees have reached 500,000 Euros, even less than some relegation-threatened teams. However, under Yu Genwei's leadership, the Tigers' performance has been stable, ranking sixth last season. Yu Genwei is the "soul" of the team, able to calmly respond to teasing about his beloved player "Ergao," without hindering other teams from competing for starting positions.
Among the newly signed players, Zhang Wei is positioned as a substitute forward, and Yu Genwei has transformed his other beloved player Xie Weijun into a central defender. It is common for domestic forwards to switch to defense, with retired player Yu Dabao and Shandong Taishan's Bi Jinhao serving as examples of "forward-defenders." Yang Fan is expected to start, with Wang Xianjun as his backup. Sun Mingqian will compete with Yang Zihao for the left-back starting position, or one of them may move to right-back to replace the departing Tomorrow. In the new season, more young players of the Tianjin Tigers will get opportunities.
None of the Tianjin Tigers' players were included in the latest national team training roster, but head coach Yu Genwei highly regards his beloved players, stating that Barton, Fang Jingqi, and Wang Qiuming all possess the ability and level to play for the national team. If the newly joined players can demonstrate a certain level under Yu Genwei's coaching, they could potentially enter the national team. Yang Fan is playing for the Tianjin Tigers for the third time; whether this will be the final stop of his career remains to be seen. His performances at Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng were not as good as when he played under Yu Genwei, indicating that only Yu Genwei knows how to use him effectively.