With the arrival of Mamadou, Dalian Yibo now has four foreign players: forwards Kalanga and Malele, attacking midfielder Labiade, and central defender Mamadou. They are just one short of completing their five foreign player quota, with only the last defensive midfielder puzzle piece missing. These four foreign players have all been tested in actual combat; Kalanga, Malele, and Mamadou were all mainstays in the Chinese Super League (CSL), not "blind boxes," while Labiade, although he played in the China League One last year, was once a regular in the Eredivisie and has experience on big stages.
Just with these few foreign players, Yibo indeed has more confidence in avoiding relegation! According to a video shot by Wang Gang, the Yibo team reporter, Mamadou has arrived in Haikou and joined the entire Yibo squad. Before training, Dalian Yibo head coach Li Guoxu and the players warmly welcomed Mamadou with applause. Mamadou made a brief speech, saying that he was very happy to come to Dalian and hoped that everyone could defend the honor for this family and the city of Dalian and play an exciting season.
Mamadou is currently 30 years old and made 27 appearances for Guoan in the 2024 season, contributing one assist. After his contract ended, both sides did not renew it, and Mamadou joined the newly promoted CSL team as a free agent. Both Malele and Mamadou have the character "Ma" in their names, and Dalian Yibo really has a connection with "Ma." The club's recruitment strategy is relatively clear; Malele was the main striker in last season's CSL, Mamadou was the main central defender for the fourth-placed team in the league, and Labiade is a midfielder. Yibo's spine still lacks a defensive midfielder!
Unfortunately, the Macedonian defensive midfielder Alimi, who Yibo contacted, "fell through." This winter window, Yibo contacted many foreign players in various positions, and the closest to joining in the defensive midfielder position was Alimi. Yibo was very sincere, but the St. George's club raised their price at the negotiating table, causing the originally possible early completion of the contract to change. Naturally, Yibo would not hang themselves on a crooked tree and has already started other defensive midfielder recruitments, which will not be greatly affected.
In terms of domestic player recruitment, it is mainly about signing young players for free, with the 31-year-old Cao Haqing being an "exception." If they can confirm relegation in advance, Yibo will also try to push for the mid-to-upper reaches. Recently, Liao Jintao, the former Guangzhou team's midfield star, appeared in Haikou and trained with the Yibo team. Last year, the youth storm of the Guangzhou team caught people's attention, and many young players developed normally, promising good career prospects. Liao Jintao has made rapid progress in recent years and can be considered the midfield core of last year's Guangzhou team.
Guoan and other clubs are also interested in Liao Jintao, but reliable domestic players are rare. However, the competition within Guoan is fierce, and they cannot guarantee his playing time. Coming to Yibo, at least he can ensure rotation as a starter. Yibo's domestic midfield is indeed weak; otherwise, the veteran Lu Peng would not have to start every game. It is worth mentioning that during last year's conflict between Liaoning and Guangzhou in the China League One, several Guangzhou players tried to mediate, and it was Liao Jintao who pushed away Houshenping. At least it shows that the young man focuses on playing football rather than fighting.
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