Although Shandong Taishan suffered two consecutive defeats in the "Gift Cup" and Super Cup, it has not been affected. Recently, the club held its annual Mount Taishan climb before the start of the Chinese Super League.
This year's mountaineering event drew special attention compared to the past few seasons, as Taishan has undergone a lot of changes this season, with several of last season's star players unable to participate in the mountaineering event for well known reasons. In addition, Taishan brought in a number of new recruits during the winter window, all of whom made their official appearance in front of the fans at the club-organized mountaineering event.
Shandong Taishan Club also formally announced the joining of 7 new players after the activity of climbing Mount Tai, namely: Tong Lei, Sun Guowen, Liu Shibo, Huang Zhengyu, Hu Jinghang, Li Yuanyi and the naturalized player Fei Nando.
The club has now completed the registration for the seven new recruits for the Chinese Super League, and they are all hoping to be reused by head coach Hao Wei in the 2023 season as part of Taishan's starting lineup.
Among the seven new players joining Taishan, Tong Lei and Fernando have attracted the most attention. Tong Lei was the first domestic player who was told to join Taishan. However, Tong Lei's transfer could never be confirmed due to his relationship with his original club, Dalian People. It was not until the Chinese Super League winter transfer window closed that Taishan officially signed Tong Lei.
For this reason, the club and Tong Lei himself have made great efforts. Although the contract between Tong Lei and Dalian People's Club expired at the end of last year, Taishan Club paid a certain training fee to Dalian People in order to introduce Tong Lei smoothly, thus obtaining Tong Lei's freedom.
And Fernando's status as a naturalized player is the main reason why he is getting a lot of attention from many fans. Fernando hasn't participated in regular training or matches for nearly two years, since he was injured in the 2021 national team training. For the past year or so, he has been vacationing at his Brazilian home.
As a result, his form has been questioned by many fans and media. However, Fernando is only 30 years old now. If he can train and recover actively, I believe he can still regain his form while in Chongqing. Considering Wu Xinghan is plagued by negative news, Fernando is undoubtedly one of the best choices for Taishan's main left winger this season.
In addition, Tong Lei and Sun Guowen are both capable of starting for the team. They are both current international players and there is no problem at all with their abilities. What they lack now is the integration with their new teammates. The addition of Li Yuanyi, Huang Zhengyu, Hu Jinghang and Liu Shibo effectively improves Taishan's bench depth. They can step up once the starters are out of form or injured.
Compared to the new Chinese Super League champions Wuhan Sanzhen and veteran powerhouse Beijing Guoan, Taishan's signings this season have not been particularly successful, and the players are slightly less powerful and prestigious.
However, with the club's financial constraints, it is not easy to bring in so many players with immediate fighting potential, as Dalian and Guangzhou are "wool-gathering". If Hao Wei can make good use of these new recruits and successfully fill in the gaps where some of the main players are unable to play, Taishan will still be one of the strongest contenders for the Chinese Super League title this season...
