On the evening of March 5, Guangdong Guangzhou Leopard Football Club, a newly-promoted team in the Chinese Second Division, announced that 15 players' contracts had expired and officially left the team. They include coach Han Lei, and players Diao Jiahao, Wen Yongjun, Wu Chengru, Deng Yubiao, Zhou Yuchen, Zhang Xue, Huang Cong, Wang Peng, Wei Yuren, Huang Peizhao, Huang Wenzhuo, Cao Jinlong, Chen Junhan and Liu Chang.
Most of the employees who have left have found new job opportunities. For example, Wen Yongjun joined the Shenzhen youth team, Wu Chengru and Zhou Yuchen moved to Shaanxi United, Deng Yubiao went to Suzhou Dongwu, a team in the Central League, and Zhang Xueliang chose Guangxi Hengchen, to name a few.
There are players leaving the team and there are new players joining. According to the news, on the basis of retaining key players such as Xiao Zhi and Liang Xueming, Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards brought in powerful players such as Ji Zhengyu, Wu Xingyu, Jin Qiang, Huang Jiaqiang and Lv Haidong in the new season as a way to further strengthen the team. From the overall strength point of view, they are expected to become the favorite to compete for the championship.
In the 2023 Chinese Champions League, Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards (formerly known as Guangzhou Shadow Leopards) finished fifth under the leadership of head coach Li Bing. They were successfully promoted to the Chinese B Professional League at the start of the new season. The CFA announced on March 4 that it agreed to change the name of Guangzhou Shadow Leopards to Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards.
