Despite winning the Chinese Super League this season, Shanghai Port's performance has not been entirely flawless. Early exits in the FA Cup and AFC Champions League, and a sudden spate of errors in the second half of the league, narrowly missing out on being overtaken by Shandong Taishan, have sparked questions from many fans and media.
Harbour's coach, Javier, was also targeted for this. Despite the team's championship victory, the calls for his dismissal have not abated because of the victory. Recent reports in the Tianjin media have suggested that Javier's departure appears to be in doubt. Currently, the Harbour Club has identified a potential successor to Javier, and that is Xie Hui, a well-known coach in the Chinese Super League.
Xie Hui, a highly respected local coach in the Chinese Super League, was relegated due to Dalian Ren's financial woes and the team's disorganized roster, which saw the team underperform this season. Now, with Dalianjin entering China's first division, many of the team's coaches and players are actively looking for new owners. Xie Hui was an assistant coach at Harbor, and his rich experience in the Chinese Super League has made him a veteran coach. Upon his return to Shanghai Harbor, with the club's financial support, it is believed that Xie Hui will be able to take the team to a new peak.
In addition to the coaching change, the Harbor Club has also made moves in the transfer market. They have targeted the Wuhan Sanzhen team which may be disbanded next year.
Since the withdrawal of Wuhan Shangwen Group, the three towns team has not found a new investor. Although recently there is news that E-Tourism Investment may take over the three towns, but it is still in the stage of intention, there is no substantial progress.
The Wuhan Sports Bureau (WSB) has held the Three Towns team in trust since the withdrawal of capital by the Shangwen Group. At present, it seems that ETSI is not very interested in the Sanzhen club. It is likely that the team will continue to be hosted by the Wuhan Sports Bureau next season.
Due to the Wuhan Sports Bureau's limited funds, it is difficult to bear the huge operating costs of the Sanzhen team, and the main players of the first team may be dumped. Next season, the Sanzhen team will likely play in the Chinese Super League with more young players, and Shanghai Port can take advantage of the opportunity to tap the potential of the Sanzhen team.
Previous reports have indicated that only three teams in the Chinese Super League have not defaulted on their wages this season, and Shanghai Harbour is one of them, who can still offer a maximum wage contract of up to 5 million dollars. This makes the harbor attractive to Tri-Town players.
Seaport are reportedly interested in signing two of Tri-Town's current international players - Wei Shihao and Xie Pengfei. Wei Shihao played for Seaport in 2017 and has established himself in the team with his outstanding talent and individual ability.
Currently, Harbour's starters are generally older, with Lu Wenjun and Wu Lei both over 30 years old. The team is in dire need of wingers like Wei Shihao with strong breakthrough and scoring ability to strengthen the forward line.
Xie Pengfei is also a highly regarded current international player who is also a winger, but has a much more prominent ability to organize his assists, often providing assists to his teammates after breaking through on the wing. Forwards like Wu Lei also need a passer like Xie Pengfei.
Of course, Seaport is not the only club interested in Wei Shihao and Xie Pengfei. Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua have also shown interest in these two players. As for which team they will join next January, let's wait and see...
