Recently, the Guangzhou team has successfully renewed the one-year contract of Zheng Zhi, the captain who is over 40 years old, and a number of players such as Liu Dianzha, Huang Bowen and Zhong Yihao have also completed their contract extensions, which makes the core lineup of Guangzhou team solid.
Recall that at the end of last year, the contracts of a number of Guangzhou's key players expired, and Zheng Zhi was among the list. For a while, it was rumored that Zheng Zhi might choose to retire and join the team's management due to his transfer to the general manager. However, the truth is that Zheng Zhi has extended his contract until December 2021 and is expected to receive a hefty contract due to his experience and ability.
Zheng Zhi started the first three rounds of this season's Chinese Super League, one of which was a full 90-minute game without ever leaving the field, and also lasted more than 80 minutes against Shenzhen. Although he has weakened in speed with age, his experience and wisdom are still indispensable to the team.
In Kasai's tactical system, the three midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Liao Lisheng and Yan Dinghao constitute a midfield combination of the old, middle-aged and young generations, and their respective responsibilities are clear. In the absence of Paulinho, they are undoubtedly the most powerful midfield lineup of Guangzhou.
In an interview, Zheng Zhi revealed his position, "I am concerned about my physical condition every year, the first consideration is the desire to play football, followed by the body, as long as the body allows, there is the motivation to continue to play football, of course, provided that it can help the team."
In fact, with Zheng Zhi's current strength and experience, the call for Li Tie to recall him to the national team is getting louder and louder.
Outside of Guangzhou, other Chinese Super League teams have also heard good news about contract extensions. Shandong Taishan's Fellaini has signed a four-year contract that expires in December 2025. 33-year-old Fellaini was not included in Belgium's Europa League squad this summer, giving him more time to play for the club. In the first five rounds of the season, Fellaini scored three goals to become the team's top scorer and Taishan led the league. It is worth mentioning that he will become the first big-name foreigner to renew his contract after the Chinese Super League's salary-limit policy, and Fellaini's pay cut is more than half of his salary if calculated on the basis of the top salary of 3 million euros.
