In the late afternoon, Shenhua soccer team held a grand departure ceremony for the 2021 season at Kangqiao base. During the ceremony, the top management of Sharon officially announced the strategic goal of the new season: to secure the qualification for the AFC Champions League while striving for the league title.
On the eve of the closing of the transfer window, Shenhua managed to bring in two defense players, defender Jin Yangyang and goalkeeper Xue Qinghao. During the departure ceremony, Shenhua assigned jersey numbers to the newcomers, with Jin Yangyang wearing jersey No. 4 and Xue Qinghao donning No. 31. Meanwhile, center forward Yang Xu will wear No. 15 in the new season.
During this winter's transfer window, Shenhua brought in a total of eight new players, resulting in a significant boost in strength on both offense and defense, especially on the offensive line with new additions such as Wu Xi, Adrian, and Basogo.
Captain Moreno spoke passionately at the ceremony:
"This season is certainly one of great anticipation for the team and the fans. We're going to give it our all for the team and hopefully we'll all be proud of each other by then."
Feng Xiaoting, the heart of the defense, also said firmly:
"We are bound to be at our best for the new season."
Shenhua FC chairman Wu Xiaohui said of the team's goals for the new season:
"As a team in Shanghai, as Shenhua, we cannot avoid the pressure.In the 2021 season, we hope that through the joint efforts of all our staff, Shenhua will return to the top of the league, secure qualification for the AFC Champions League and strive to achieve even higher goals to reach for the league title. This is a goal we all share."
He also emphasized that he hoped the players would fully trust head coach Choi Kang-hee and the coaching team, and unite together to create a miracle that seemed impossible to achieve from the outside.
Since the beginning of January this year, Shenhua's old and new players have shown great enthusiasm and good condition in the winter training. In response to the skepticism about the age of many of the players introduced to the Shenhua team, Wu responded that the club believes that these players are in the prime of their careers, and believes that they will respond to this skepticism with their performance.
After the departure ceremony, all Shenhua players and coaching team took the bus to Suzhou. In the first stage of the new season, Shenhua was placed in Group B, with opponents including Shanghai Harbor and Beijing Guoan, etc. In the first round of the league on April 23, Shenhua will face Beijing Guoan.
