On the 13th, the Chinese Super League transfer market became a hot topic of discussion. Leonardo, the "unexpected foreign aid," finally officially transferred to join Shanghai Port after experiencing many twists and turns. The transfer fee is about 10 million RMB (approximately 1.3 million euros), which is considered a suitable price for Taishan team. For Leonardo, this may be a new starting point.
Speaking of Leonardo's experience at Shandong Taishan, it can be described as tortuous and bizarre. In 2021, Leonardo transferred from Urawa Reds to Taishan team, with a transfer fee of 2.1 million euros at that time, and a contract period of up to 5 years. However, unexpectedly, after joining Taishan team, his performance and position were not ideal. In two years, he only played 8 games for Taishan team, scoring a total of 1 goal. Even so, Taishan team still rented him out many times, giving him opportunities to find his form again in other clubs.
After seeing this transfer news, some netizens commented: "Isn't this just 'divorce and reorganization'? He did pretty well last year at Zhejiang team, but Taishan team didn't give him many chances, instead they sold him, it's really confusing." Leonardo performed well during his rental period, especially in the 2023 season, when he scored 19 goals in the Chinese Super League and won the Golden Boot award. This performance greatly improved his evaluation in the outside world.
In the 2024 season, he transferred to Zhejiang team again and continued to maintain a strong performance, contributing 21 goals and eventually winning the Silver Boot award. His performance at Zhejiang team was quite eye-catching, scoring a total of 36 goals in two and a half years.
For Shandong Taishan, although the outside world saw Leonardo's highlights, the team apparently never gave him the opportunity he deserved. Especially during the 2024 offseason, Taishan team introduced another foreign aid, Zecca, indicating that the team's foreign aid lineup had new changes, and they did not continue to give Leonardo the chance to return to the team.
Taishan team wanted to recover their investment costs as much as possible, and ultimately decided to sell him during the winter transfer window. The involvement of Shanghai Port and the final confirmation of Leonardo's transfer were somewhat unexpected. Initially, J-League's Osaka Sakura had basically completed the transfer negotiations with Leonardo and was about to announce it. However, Shanghai Port eventually signed Leonardo for 1.3 million euros and offered him a three-year contract.
For Taishan team, although the contract has only one year left, this price is considered a good deal, after all, Leonardo, although not playing much in the team, his potential and strength have been recognized by other clubs. After signing Leonardo, Shanghai Port's foreign aid lineup has been further upgraded. In the new season, Shanghai Port will have three top strikers: Wu Lei, Leonardo, and Gustavo. If these three can perform well, the attacking line of the Port is expected to become even more fierce. And the Port team may continue to supplement midfield players, looking for a suitable midfield core to balance the overall strength of the team.
After watching this, a netizen commented: "This move by the Port is simply profitable. Leonardo is in good form, plus Wu Lei and Gustavo, the attacking line of these three people is really something to look forward to." Indeed, the combination of the three forwards, if they can stay healthy and find chemistry in the game, the firepower of the Port is indeed very powerful.
This transaction also makes people can't help but think, what kind of "destiny" is between Leonardo and Taishan team. As a winner of the Chinese Super League Golden Boot and Silver Boot, Leonardo undoubtedly has considerable strength, but his experience at Taishan team has not been smooth, and the multiple rental opportunities also indicate that Taishan team did not give him real trust and opportunity.
On the contrary, after joining Shanghai Port, Leonardo may be able to prove himself in a more competitive team. The lineup of Shanghai Port this season is undoubtedly something to look forward to, in addition to the powerful forwards, the construction of the midfield and defense may also be the focus of the team in the next step.
With the change of the foreign aid policy, each team can register a maximum of 6 foreign aids, and the existing foreign aid quota of Taishan team has been filled, so they will have to make some choices, and Leonardo's departure seems to be an inevitable result.
To sum up, this transaction may be a beneficial choice for all parties.