The transfer window for the Chinese Super League (CSL) and China League One has officially opened during the off-season, with two newly promoted teams making significant moves. Yunnan Yulong, after securing promotion to the CSL, underwent a major overhaul with 21 players from last season's main lineup leaving the team. This includes key players such as Du Jinlong, Liu Yuhao, Zang Yifeng, Li Guangwen, Cui Ming'an, Liu Yi, and Zhong Haoran, all of whom left upon the expiration of their contracts. In terms of foreign players, Musa and Labad left the team, while midfielder Joni remained. They have chosen Portuguese midfielder Nene for the defensive midfield position, who has previously been selected for the Portuguese national youth team. Up front, Cangzhou forward Okas has joined the team, and his naturalization procedures are currently underway; he is expected to play as a domestic player next season.
Dalian Yingbo has made even bigger moves in terms of recruitment, having signed five domestic players so far. These include Liu Yi and Cao Haqing from last season's Yunnan team, Wen Jiabao from Shanghai Shenhua, Cui Lin from Changchun Yatai, and Wang Chengkai from Yanbian. Cao Haqing is set to become the starting left-back for the new season, with last season's starter He Xiaoqiang transferring to Chongqing. The right-back position will likely be contested between Cui Lin and Lv Zhuoyi. Similar to many teams promoted from China League One to the CSL, Dalian Yingbo had a thin foundation when they were promoted to China League One, and it was quite unexpected that such a lineup could secure promotion to the top flight. Therefore, for the new season, they have replaced most of the players from the second-tier league. However, the players they have brought in are mostly rotational players from the CSL, suggesting that Dalian Yingbo may not have a substantial budget.
In terms of foreign players, Dalian Yingbo has also opted for familiar faces, including last season's Shanghai Shenhua striker Malele, Beijing Guoan defender Mamadou, and Yunnan midfielder Labad. Each of these three players has distinct characteristics. Malele boasts excellent physical attributes and speed, but his ability to seize opportunities is also notably lacking. His one-touch shooting accuracy and scoring rate are high, but his performance changes drastically if he takes more than a few steps. With top-level physical and speed advantages in the CSL, he is almost certain to outmaneuver opposing center-backs, but his technical skills, especially dribbling and finishing, are quite rough and largely reliant on luck.
Defender Mamadou offers great value for money, with a high lower limit, strong stability, and few mistakes, and he is also reasonably priced and reliable. Dalian Yingbo's recruitment strategy has focused on familiar faces, which is beneficial as they are well-known and understood. Dalian Yingbo lacks funds and resources for finding foreign players, so they have opted for those who have already been 'tested' by others and have some adaptability to the CSL. Last year, apart from Robson who was found by themselves, the rest were also familiar faces in the Chinese leagues.
However, the deal for the highly anticipated North Macedonian midfielder Alimi, which Dalian fans have been waiting for, is likely to fall through. He played in a match for his team this week, and if he were to come to China, he would not have participated in the game this week. In addition to this, Dalian has secured another domestic player. Last season's midfield core from Guangzhou, Liao Jintao, is currently on trial with Dalian. Liao Jintao played 28 games for Guangzhou last season, scoring 4 goals and providing 2 assists. His playing style is somewhat similar to that of Manchester City's Rodri, being a box-to-box midfielder, and there are high expectations for his performance in the new season with Dalian.