As the Chinese Super League draws to a close, with the exception of Shenzhen, who are confirmed to be relegated, teams have been engaged in the final showdown. Especially the teams competing for the championship and relegation, the suspense is still heavy. The season is not yet completed, some teams have already started to prepare for the next season. On the one hand, they are communicating with expired players to extend their contracts, provided that the coaches are interested in them; on the other hand, they are looking for additions to their weak points. Clubs also need to plan ahead for the 2024 season.
Observing the characteristics of the Chinese Super League team, the strength of foreign aid often dominates and even shapes the strength of the team. However, the strength of investors has weakened, and the opportunity to introduce high-level foreign aid is becoming less and less. As a result, the introduction of foreign aid has become particularly critical, and the cost of mistakes has increased. Many teams therefore prefer to choose familiar rather than unfamiliar foreign aiders to avoid going astray. However, the number of high quality foreign aiders in the Chinese Super League is limited, especially after a few seasons of testing, the number of players has decreased, and some of the players are getting older and their competitive status has declined.
As a result, clubs are faced with weighing the pros and cons. Although there are still two rounds left in the league, the first big-name foreign aiders to leave the team have already appeared. Henan's central midfielder Adrian and No. 10 decided to leave the team. The latter has announced on his personal social media platform that his contract will not be renewed when 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 6-0, completing the relegation task ahead of schedule. The team will focus on developing young players next, so Adrian chose to leave the team early to make room for other players.
Adrian is experienced in the Chinese Super League, playing for five teams including Yatai, Chongqing, R&F, Shenhua and Henan since 2018, basically as a starter. So far, he has made 135 appearances, in which he has scored 117 times, contributing 29 goals and 34 assists in an impressive performance.
However, Adrian is 37 years old and his athleticism is in question. This season, he has contributed only 3 goals and 4 assists in 22 games, which is far from expectations and is one of the reasons why his contract has not been renewed. Nonetheless, Adrian remains a solid option and there are still a number of clubs willing to take him on for at least the next 1-2 seasons.
