From being the sole leader to a fierce competition among many teams, the landscape of the Chinese Super League (CSL) has changed due to the departure of Oscar and Bargas. The established team Beijing Guoan has openly declared their intention to join the championship race next year, not only securing the renowned coach Quique Setién but also rekindling their connection with Jonathan Viera. Another traditional powerhouse in the CSL, Shandong Taishan, has not been idle either. While dealing with Cuí Kāngxī's contract, they are actively seeking foreign players without the interference of a head coach, focusing their selection on Brazil through Brazilian sports channels.
Shandong Taishan will not renew their contract with Marcelo, and it is imperative to upgrade their foreign players. Even if they do not have the ambition to compete for the championship, they need good foreign players to fight for a top-four position. At least five foreign players should have the ability to start, unlike last season when they had five foreign players on paper, but Delgado was once benched. According to the Shandong Orange Wave Fan Club, Taishan's new foreign player will be the Brazilian midfielder Guilherme Madruga. He is quite famous and won the Puskás Award in 2023.
Madruga is 24 years old and comes from Brazilian sports. He joined the Brazilian Serie A team Cuiabá Esporte Clube for a transfer fee of 740,000 euros at the beginning of this year. The 2023 season was his career peak, playing 46 games in the Brazilian Serie B, scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists. This transfer is the result of Shandong Taishan's thorough investigation. As a product of Brazilian sports, the team knows him well, considering Madruga as part of their own training system. He has participated in the Weifang Cup and visited Taishan's training base, taking photos with Fellaini and Moisés, sharing a strong bond, and was even teammates with Fang Hao.
With Liao Lisheng expected to join Chengdu Rongcheng, Taishan needs a foreign defensive midfielder. Madruga, who cannot secure a starting position in the Brazilian Serie A, has a market value of 600,000 euros, and the transfer fee will not be too high. Madruga is a box-to-box midfielder with strong midfield interception skills and some ball distribution abilities. The transfer budgets of CSL teams have generally decreased; Shanghai introduced a Brazilian Serie B forward with a value of only 900,000 euros. Value does not represent everything; what matters most is the suitability for the team. Having a defensive midfielder is always better than not having one.
Another foreign player, Leonardo, is basically confirmed to join Zhejiang Greentown. Selling the golden boot winner to raise transfer fees is more than enough to buy Madruga and sign another foreign player. Shandong Taishan will prioritize foreign players from the Brazilian league for a long time in the future, with a low probability of them becoming flops. If Madruga ultimately joins, he will form a four-foreigner lineup with Crespo, Wako, and Zecca, with the last foreigner spot used for the midfield or defense. Cuí Kāngxī's dream of monopolizing Taishan's foreign players has become impossible.
The recruitment of foreign players by CSL teams is accelerating. Shanghai Port's foreign players are basically confirmed and will join the team's winter training in January. Next year will truly test Muhsin Muscat's capabilities, as they will not have any big-name foreign players and must maintain their strength. Zhejiang Greentown will buy out Leonardo's contract and sign a German second-tier league center forward. Xu Zhengyuan is not content with being defeated three times by Taishan last season. Taishan will face competition not just from three teams next year, but at least six teams capable of winning the championship. Mid-table teams also have the potential to knock Taishan off their perch. With the confirmation of the new foreign player, the future of head coach Cuí Kāngxī will gradually become clear.