The Chinese Super League (CSL) is about to enter the final stage, except for Shenzhen, which has been confirmed to be relegated, all other teams have entered the final sprint stage. Especially the teams competing for the title and relegation are currently in suspense. In addition to the tasks of this season, some teams have already started to prepare for next season. On the one hand, they are communicating with players whose contracts are about to expire, provided that the coaches have the intention to let them stay in the team. On the other hand, the team also needs to make personnel renewal, especially in the weak position to make personnel reinforcement. Clubs also need to lay out their plans ahead of time to prepare well in advance for the 2024 season.
Looking at the characteristics of CSL teams, the strength of foreign aid plays a dominant role and even determines the strength of the team. However, with the weakening of investors' strength, the possibility of bringing in high-level foreign aid is getting lower and lower. As a result, the importance of bringing in foreign aid has become more and more prominent, and there is less and less room for error. This is why many teams bring in foreign aid in the spirit of familiarity rather than birth, lest they go astray. However, the Chinese Super League has a limited number of existing high-quality foreign aiders, especially after a few seasons of fewer players, some of whom are older and whose competitive status has declined.
As a result, individual clubs will also weigh the pros and cons. Although there are still two rounds to go before the tournament ends, the first powerful foreigners to leave the team have already appeared. Henan's central midfielder Adrian and No. 10 are determined to leave the team. The latter has confirmed on his personal social media platform that he will not renew his contract with Henan after it expires with only one last game left. In other words, Adrian will leave the team early, becoming the first player in the winter window. In the 28th round of the tournament, Henan defeated Cangzhou Lions with 6 goals, completing the relegation task in advance. Next, the team will focus on training young players, so Adrian also left early to make room for other players.
Adrian has a lot of experience in the Chinese Super League. Since 2018, he has played for five teams, including Yatai, Chongqing, R&F, Shenhua, and Henan, basically as a starter. So far, Adrian has made 135 appearances, 117 of them, contributing a remarkable 29 goals and 34 assists.
However, Adrian is immediately 37 years old and his competitive form is in doubt. This season in particular, he has only contributed 3 goals and 4 assists in 22 games, which is far from expectations and is one of the reasons why his contract was not renewed. However, despite this, Adrian is still a solid option and there are still plenty of clubs willing to take him on for at least the next 1-2 seasons.
