Guoan Club held a New Year's greeting press conference on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the four new signings He Yupeng, Lin Liangming, Guga and Traore sent New Year's greetings to the fans through **. This appearance shows that they have officially become a member of Guoan, which is equivalent to the team "officially announcing" their joining in the way of New Year's greetings.
He Yupeng and Lin Liangming played for Dalian last season. He Yupeng is a full-back player who made 22 appearances for Dalian last season, including 18 starts, and provided one assist. As a 24-year-old player, He Yupeng is young and has a certain impact, which is one of the main reasons why the Guoan team values him. After all, Guoan's two main fullbacks, Li Lei and Wang Gang, are over 30 years old and need a reliable player who can be substituted. And Lin Liangming is an attacking player, and his ability has long been recognized, otherwise he would not have competed in the Asian Cup as an international player. After coming to Guoan, Lin Liangming will face competitive pressure from Yang Liyu and Fang Hao, and he will need to work hard to win more trust and opportunities.
Guga is a Portuguese midfielder whose arrival comes amid coach Luis Suarez's need to strengthen his passing and playmaking skills in the middle of the midfield. Guoan's midfield personnel reserve is relatively weak, and the retirement of Park Cheng and the departure of Gao Tianyi make the team more in need of a foreign aid with excellent ability to play and transfer the ball. Guga's experience playing in Portugal makes him an ideal choice for the national security. Although he is only 1.68 meters tall, Guga has good confrontation ability, as well as good vision and ability to move the ball. He was also impressive for River Ave, scoring six goals and providing 12 assists in 115 appearances, and was named the team's Player of the Year in 2021 '22. Guoan's introduction of such a foreign midfielder whose level should not be underestimated shows the team's determination in recruitment.
Traore is a centre-back player who can also play as a defensive midfielder. Guoan brought him in because coach Suarez believes that the team's defense is not ideal. Last season, Guoan ranked high with 35 goals conceded and their defensive performance was not satisfactory. Traore has excellent physical qualities, having been a first-choice centre-back in both Serbia and the Portuguese league. Although Traore's appearances have decreased since joining the Qatari league team, Guoan is interested in his strength and experience in the team's central defender position. The introduction of such a physically qualified foreign central defender is a reasonable decision to improve Guoan's defensive strength.
In the Chinese Football League, it is rare to introduce two foreign central defenders. Most teams prefer to strengthen their attacking line and bring in only one foreign centre-back at the back. However, the situation in the national security is different. Guoan has renewed the contracts of six players while also bringing in Guga and Traore, and with the saturation of the midfield staffing, Guoan has chosen to bring in a foreign central defender at the back to improve the team's defensive strength.
After Guoan's change of coach last year, head coach Suarez was not satisfied with the team's defensive performance. The team conceded the eight-most goals throughout the season, the joint-most goals. While defense doesn't just depend on the backline players and goalkeepers, the quality of the centre-backs largely determines the quality of the defense.
There have been physical black centre-backs such as Paul and François. Ngadwu, who joined last season, has also made an important contribution to the national security. Due to the gap between domestic players in terms of physical fitness, Guoan decided to bring in a foreign central defender with excellent physical fitness to improve the team's overall defensive ability.
Traore played in Portugal and had no problem communicating with the coaching staff, which helped him integrate into the team quickly. However, whether he can become the next Ngadeu will be tested by time and the game.
To sum up, Guoan FC showed their determination to focus on the back line when they brought in four new signings. By bringing in two foreign centre-backs, they hope to improve the team's defensive quality and add a certain advantage to the team in terms of physicality and experience. It is also a sound decision that will hopefully improve the overall competitiveness of the team.