In recent years, the country's soccer army, led by the likes of Chen Xuyuan and Li Tie, has fallen into unprecedented disarray, with overall results in tatters. However, the arrival of coach Aleksandar Jankovic in 2023 brought new hope to the team. He was delighted to see the return of naturalized players such as Ackerson and Fernando to the Chinese Super League, which coincided with Coach Lippi's original intention. He strongly believes that the rational use of naturalized players will help to improve the overall strength of the national team and positively affect the results of the tournament.
However, with the passage of time, the aging problem of the naturalized players is becoming more and more prominent. Six naturalized players, including Ackerson, Fernando, Li Ke, Luo Guofu, Alan and Jiang Guangtai, were drafted at the same time. Among them, Li Ke and Fernando are in the period of form adjustment; Allan is operating the Chinese Super League and needs to find his competitive status. He has made only one appearance in the Barclays Premier League this season; Luo Guofu, who performed well in Brazil but scored 12 goals in 27 matches, has plans to retire and the possibility of returning to play in his home country is slim.
In June, Jankovic recruited only two naturalized players, Eckerson and Jiang Guangtai. According to the schedule, the national soccer team will participate in the Asian Preliminary 36 at the end of the year and the Asian Cup at the beginning of 2024. By then, the overall strength will be full of uncertainty. Although all five naturalized players, including Fernando, Aickerson, Li Ke, Alan and Jiang Guangtai, may return to the team, the fighting strength is difficult to predict.
Authoritative transfer website "German transfer" of the latest value list shows that the original value is much higher than the local players of the naturalized players Aixon, Allan, Fernando, etc. value plummeted, which is the strength of the players, age and status of the overall consideration. Ackerson was once the most valuable player in the national football team, but is now worth only 400,000 euros, Alain also 400,000 euros, Fernando 350,000 euros, Li 250,000 euros, Jiang Guangtai is relatively stable, worth 800,000 euros.
With the value of naturalized players slipping, top Chinese footballer Wu Lei remains steady and worth €2 million, making him the only bright spot among Chinese players. However, Wu Lei is not a player with outstanding individual ability, he needs quality passes from his teammates to support him. Therefore, Wu Lei's outstanding performance can't bring qualitative changes to the national soccer team, while the powerful center forward combination of Luo Guofu, Zhang Yuning and Ekerson can bring qualitative changes to the national football team's offensive system. However, only the stable play of Ackerson can ensure the victory of the two matches. Arguably the most unfortunate homegrown center forward, Zhang Yuning was once young and talented enough to become a study abroad brother at the age of 19. He rose to prominence in the Dutch league and represented his country in the World Cup qualifiers. At one point he was worth €2 million, making him the most valuable Chinese player at the time.
Today, Zhang Yuning, while still worth €850,000 and second on the national soccer value list behind Wu Lei, is in a worrying state of health with frequent injuries. After months off for surgery at the start of the year, it was frustrating to come back and re-injure himself again. He confirmed his comeback at the end of the year, but the serious injury directly postponed the Asian Games, World Cup qualifiers, and three Asian Cup matches. Zhang Yuning was appointed as the old player of the Asian Games, due to injuries absent from the Asian Games, the national soccer team, his status in the preliminaries and the Asian Cup will also be difficult to guarantee.
