With the 2022 season coming to an end, Shanghai Shenhua, a boat of Chinese Super League veterans, is on a journey of renewal in 2023.
According to the domestic authoritative soccer information disclosure, Shanghai Jiushi Group has fully taken over the Shenhua club, marking the Greenland Group's control of the Shenhua era drew to a close.
Shanghai Nine Group, a leader in China's sports investment sector, has been successfully running the CBA's Shanghai Men's Basketball team for years before getting involved in soccer. In just a few short seasons, they have reshaped the men's basketball team into a strong contender for the title through huge investments.
Now that the Jiuzhi Group has entered Shenhua, it is expected to continue to uphold its past business philosophy, especially as the Chinese Super League is in the doldrums, and Shenhua's metamorphosis in the new season is something to look forward to.
Numerous fans have predicted a major reshuffle of Shenhua's first team after the Jiuzhi Group took over. After the expiration of their contracts at the end of last year, it is feared that it will be difficult for 21 players to remain in the team.
But the latest developments show that Shenhua did not make a big effort to clean up the players. Only four veterans, including Feng Xiaoting, Zhu Baojie, Li Yunqiu and Zhao Mingjian, chose not to renew their contracts.
Feng Xiaoting, at the age of 38, may announce his retirement, while Zhu Baojie, Li Yunqiu and Zhao Mingjian are expected to find new owners in the Chinese Super League or Chinese League One.
Veteran Zeng Cheng, who had a strained relationship with Shenhua over salary claims, unexpectedly appeared in the winter training list, while Peng Xinli, who had been rumored to join Chengdu Rongcheng, also appeared in this list.
In addition to Zeng Cheng and Peng Xinli, veterans such as Cao Yunding, Wu Xi and Zhu Jianrong were also able to stay in the team. Despite their advanced age, they were the absolute mainstay of last season's team and the right-hand men of coach Wu Jingui. Despite the expiration of their contracts, Shanghai fans generally believe that they will remain at Shenhua in the new season.
In the new season, Shenhua will adhere to the strategy of veterans with newcomers, and veterans such as Cao Yunding, Wu Xi and Yu Hanchao will continue to play a central role. Young players such as Jiang Shenglong, Liu Ruofan, Wang Haijian and Zhou Junchen will be given more opportunities to become the backbone of Shenhua's future team building.
In terms of foreign aid, Bolaños has been dropped and the return of Bassogo depends on the club hierarchy. Given that Basogo is 27 years old and has just experienced the World Cup, the Cameroonian striker will have little problem returning to Shenhua.
After solving the problem of players' contract renewal, Shenhua will open the road of attracting reinforcements. At present, two players and Shenhua club close relationship, one for the last season in the Cangzhou Lions scored 14 goals and sent 6 assists of foreign striker Jose Kanter, the other for the Shenzhen team international Dai Weijun, both are the Chinese Super League's hot figures.
In the 2023 season, the home and away system will be resumed in the Chinese Super League, and Shenhua will finally be able to return to their home stadium of 80,000 people. I believe that a brand new Shenhua team will be presented to the fans after the official return of Jiuzhi Group to the home field!
