South Korean coach Choi Kang-hee has initiated a complete overhaul of his squad as the Shandong Taishan team comes into its own. Last year's season saw the marginalization of many of the team's core players, with left back Song Long in particular. Song Long, a 34-year-old son of Qingdao, began his professional soccer career in 2010 at the age of 21 when he joined his hometown team, Qingdao Zhongneng (Qingdao Hainiu). Song Long's physical prowess has not only helped him to establish himself in Zhongneng, but he was also named to the Olympic squad this season.
Despite Qingdao Zhongneng's unfortunate relegation to the Central League at the end of the 2013 season, Song Long's performances continued to be eye-catching and attracted the attention of Shandong Luneng (Shandong Taishan), who brought him in for a hefty price tag of 12 million RMB for the 2016 season. However, after joining Taishan, Song Long did not manage to become an absolute starter, serving as Zheng Zheng's replacement for a long time under several former Taishan coaches. Until the second half of the 2020 season, Li Xiaopeng resigned, Hao Wei took over as coach, Song Long gradually became the main left back of the Taishan team. While becoming the mainstay of the Taishan team, Song Long also won the 2020 AFC Cup with the team. Since then, he has led Taishan to win both the Super League and AFC Cup in the 2022 season, as well as the AFC Cup last season. However, Song Long quickly lost his starting position after Hao Wei was arrested as Taishan's head coach. Choi Kang-hee gave Song Long a chance when he first took charge of the Taishan team, but his performance in the game was not satisfactory and failed to meet Choi's expectations. Particularly in Shandong Taishan's match against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Song Long's left side was torn apart by Jinmen Tigers, and the team's three goals conceded were directly related to him. At the end of the first half, Choi Kang-hee decided to replace Song Long. Since then, he has not been given any chance to play again. With Choi Kang-hee's abandonment, Song Long's career with the Taishan team is coming to an end. According to the German transfer website, he has only five months left on his contract with the club. At present, it seems that the possibility of his contract extension with Taishan is very slim. As a result, there are reports that Song Long will return to free agency next season and return to the Qingdao Sea Cowboys. In fact, he has a chance to return to Qingdao Hainiu in the summer transfer window, but he still wants to return as a free agent when his contract expires. After eight years, Song Long returns to his hometown of Qingdao and joins the Sea Bulls for the second time, which means a lot to the 34-year-old veteran. It is expected that Song Long will continue to maintain his form and play for the Sea Bulls for two more seasons, helping the team to complete the transition from old to new and join the coaching staff after his retirement, contributing to the revitalization of Qingdao's soccer industry.
