Choi Kang-hee made an incredible decision midway through the 2023 season - dropping loanee Leonardo in favor of bringing in Indonesian league scorer Pato. However, Pato has not delivered the expected results for the team. The deal was feared to turn into a disaster if he could not be rented out or sold in 2024. This time, Choi Kang-hee decided to use his connections to bring in high center forward Zeka and potential midfielder Kazaishvili from the K-League, hoping to avoid a repeat this time. Historical data shows that players imported by the Chinese Super League from the K-League have generally performed well.
K-League foreigners in the history of the Chinese Super League such as Kim Shin-wook, Son Jun-ho and Malcolm have all performed well. Zeca will not only provide solid support for Taishan's defense, his excellent footwork and speed and breaking ability make him far more than a mere winger in front of the goal. Such a Zeca will help Taishan to launch fierce high-level counterattacks and put great pressure on the opponent's first line of defense. Kazaishvili will take the Taishan attack up front to the next level if he can organize fluidly up front and play the role of a midfield commander. Cressan stepping back to receive the ball in Moises' absence, while good for organizing the attack, could also slow down the pace of the game. Choi Kang-hee was outspoken about this issue after his team's 0-3 loss to Yokohama Mariners, showing that the team needs to target improvements. Kazayishvili is by no means less valuable than Montillo if he can feed the shells for Kressan and Zeca like Montillo did. In the Chinese Super League, a player's strength and reputation are not the only factors to consider, and Kazayishvili needs to quickly integrate into the team to bring more contributions to the Taishan team. Although Gedes is stronger individually, Klassan seems to be better in terms of team contribution and integration. Zhejiang's Li Tixiang and Taishan's Fernando both contributed three assists in the AFC Champions League group stage, tying for fourth place. This good news makes Chinese fans happy, but at the same time, they also regret that the two excellent "pie feeders" were not selected for the national team. Local players often lack opportunities and experience when they are young, and only make great strides when they are 30 years old, but their physical condition begins to decline. While players over 30 such as Wu Xi and Zhang Linpeng are still active, why can't Fernando and Li Tixiang be replacement wizards? Lao Yang's stubbornness is thought-provoking.
