As the Chinese Super League season draws to a close, except for Shenzhen, which has been relegated, the rest of the teams are in full sprint. Especially in the key battle between the championship and relegation, the suspense is still heavy. In addition to focusing on the ultimate goal of this season, some teams have started to save for a rainy day and lay out for next season. On the one hand, they are communicating with players whose contracts are coming to an end, provided that the coaching team intends to keep them; on the other hand, they are actively seeking to renew their personnel, especially in the weaker parts of the team, in order to strengthen them. The club needs to be prepared for the 2024 season.
Among the qualities of Chinese Super League teams, the strength of foreign aid often plays a dominant role and even determines the team's victory or defeat. However, the weakening of investor power makes it more difficult to introduce high-level foreign aid, the importance of introducing foreign aid is becoming more and more prominent, while the room for error is getting smaller and smaller. Therefore, many teams tend to choose familiar foreign aid rather than blindly introducing them to avoid going astray. However, there are only a limited number of high-quality foreign aiders in Chinese supermarkets, and after many seasons of sharpening, some of the players are getting older and their athletic status has declined. Before the end of the season, a powerful foreign aid has been confirmed to leave the team. Henan's midfield core Adrian and No. 10 player has decided to bid farewell to the team. The latter made it clear 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 be the first player to leave the team in the winter transfer window. In the 28th round of matches, Henan defeated Cangzhou Lions with a 6-goal advantage, locking the relegation spot in advance. The team will focus on developing young players next, so Adrian's early departure also provides more opportunities for young players. Adrian is experienced in the Chinese Super League and has played for five teams, including Yatai, Chongqing, R&F, Shenhua and Henan, since 2018, basically as a starter. So far, he has made 135 appearances, scoring or assisting in 117 of them, contributing a total of 29 goals and 34 assists in an impressive performance. However, Adrian is 37 years old and his athleticism is a concern. This season, he has only contributed 3 goals and 4 assists in 22 games, which is far from expectations and is one of the reasons why he failed to renew his contract. Nonetheless, Adrian is still a solid option and there are still numerous clubs willing to take him on, at least for the next 1-2 seasons.
