There are two main reasons why Qingdao West Coast was able to recruit Duan Liuyu. One is that their head coach is Hisashi Kurosaki, who used to be the assistant coach of Taishan and can be considered as Duan Liuyu's mentor. Hisashi Kurosaki needed a player like Duan Liuyu in his tactical play, so he played a key role. The Taishan team will cancel Duan's contract in May next year, and this time, he will not renew his contract or rent it again, but will decide whether to keep him or not according to his performance, and it is the Taishan team that holds the initiative.
Shandong Taishan will have a large number of players for rent this year. Cui Kangxi prefers fast and physical players. For example, even if Wu Xinghan was in average form in China's first division, he could still make the Asian Champions League roster. He suffered a very small loss because he is poor against the body and needs a tactical system that suits him. Taishan's army of rentals will be finalized. Young players such as Sun Guowen, Duan Liuyu, Baihe Lamu and Yi Xianlong, including golden boot Pato, will also be rented out for practice in a bid to return to the starting lineup next year.
Local players in the Chinese Super League need midfielders like Duan Liuyu, but none have made more than 15 appearances in the past two seasons. Even if they stay in Taishan, they won't be able to compete with the foreigners and Xie Wenneng. Once he arrives at Qingdao West Coast, it will be a major turning point for his career. If he is able to perform well, he may have a chance to rise again; on the contrary, Duan Liuyu may fail completely and not even be able to play in the Chinese Super League. For now, Qingdao West Coast is a relatively weak team in the Chinese Super League. Duan Liuyu must seize the opportunity, even if he can't return to Shandong Taishan in the future, for the sake of his career.
