The core foreign player of Shanghai Port, Oscar, has confirmed his departure for the new season as he returns to play in Brazil. This marks the end of the golden era of the Chinese Super League (CSL), where the selection of foreign players is gradually becoming more affordable, with players valued around one million being the main focus for CSL teams. The only team that has confirmed five foreign players is the newly promoted Dalian Yingbo, who have opted for familiar faces from the CSL. Their forwards include former Henan striker Kalanga, who remains with the team, along with Marele, who played for Shanghai last season, and Labuad, who played in Yunnan. The defensive line also features familiar names, with Mamadou joining from Beijing Guoan last season. The only foreign player not currently playing in the CSL is Alimi from North Macedonia, although he has not yet been officially announced.
In addition to Dalian Yingbo, another newly promoted team, Yunnan, has also experienced significant changes in their foreign players during the off-season. They only retained Joni last season, securing Portuguese midfielder Nene for the midfield. However, they were let down by Serbian central defender Zirmanovich in their choice of defenders. Zirmanovich had already agreed on contract details with Yunnan, leaving only the signing process. The player had arrived in Yunnan, but for unknown reasons, decided to return to Europe after only one day, without communicating with Yunnan and leaving directly with his agent.
According to Yunnan journalists, Zirmanovich believed that the urban environment in Yunnan was significantly inferior to that of Serbia, and he also felt unable to adapt to the high-altitude climate conditions in Yunnan, leading to his decision to renege on the contract. However, this behavior is considered unprofessional, and there are rumors that Zirmanovich demanded a wage increase at the last minute, which was rejected by Yunnan, resulting in the failure of the transaction. Yunnan actually experienced a similar situation last season when Plan B signed Labuad, who performed well last season and later transferred to Dalian to assist Marele. Many fans believe that Yunnan's approach is correct, stating that they should deal with unprofessional foreign players in this manner.
Yunnan Yulong boasts excellent overall training facilities and stadium environments. During the off-season, Yunnan Yulong also upgraded their home stadium, which can now accommodate 30,000 people upon completion. At present, a seating capacity of around 25,000 to 30,000 is suitable for most medium-sized clubs. Yunnan's home ground is still in Yuxi, a high-altitude venue, adding another "devil's home" to the CSL. The two newly promoted teams, Yunnan and Dalian, have both made strong moves in terms of recruitment during the off-season, which indirectly proves that neither team intends to underperform in the CSL, which is a good thing. Ambitious newly promoted teams can clearly enhance the intensity of the CSL. It is the best news for the league itself. We can only hope that players like Zirmanovich will not appear on the CSL stage again in the future.
