Initial Impressions of the Second Transfer Window in the Chinese Super League: There’s a kind of terror called plug-and-play.

Written by Han Bing This season's second transfer window in the Chinese Super League has concluded, with 10 out of 16 teams introducing a total of 11 new foreign players, including two new signings by Zhejiang. Among the 11 new foreign players are current national team members like Burcă (Romania), Mitriță (Romania), and Asu-Ekotto (Equatorial Guinea), as well as former internationals such as Omarsson (Iceland), Ranko Zé (Cameroon), and Wesley (Brazil). Melendo (Shanghai Port) and López (Shandong Taishan) both come from Espanyol's youth training and have experience in La Liga, while Wesley (Shenzhen New Pengcheng) even has experience in the Premier League and La Liga. Ranko Zé (Qingdao Hainiu) and Omarsson (Meizhou Hakka) have played in Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie, and Yago (Zhejiang) has also played in the Primeira Liga and K1 League. The new foreign players in this season's second transfer window generally have impressive backgrounds and abilities.

Both Shanghai's giants have brought in new foreign players, hoping to boost their championship aspirations in the second half of the season; Shandong Taishan, Yunnan Yukun, Zhejiang, and Dalian Pro hope that the new foreign players can improve their performance; the relegation battlers Shenzhen New Pengcheng, Meizhou Hakka, Qingdao Hainiu, and Changchun Yatai have all introduced new foreign players as a "lifeline." Meanwhile, the title contenders Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng have not changed their foreign players, and mid-table teams Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Qingdao West Coast, and Wuhan Three Towns have also remained unchanged, with Henan being the only relegation team not to change foreign players after a coaching change.

Among the 11 new foreign players with relatively good professional backgrounds, performances have varied, with standout players demonstrating high efficiency and producing terrifying statistics.

Among the 11 new foreign players, Wesley from Shenzhen New Pengcheng had a peak market value of €30 million while playing for Aston Villa at the end of 2019, and he made his debut for the Brazilian national team.

The highest market value among the 11 new foreign players is Mitriță from Zhejiang, valued at €4 million (equivalent), tying with Kresan (Shandong Taishan) for the top spot in the Super League. Burcă (valued at €2.5 million, Yunnan Yukun) ranks fifth, Asu-Ekotto (valued at €2 million, Shanghai Shenhua) is tied for sixth, Wesley (valued at €1.8 million, Shenzhen New Pengcheng) is tied for eleventh, while the remaining seven players are valued at less than €1 million.

Romanian international forward Mitriță has showcased his "dimensionality reduction attack" personal skills since his debut: on June 25, during an away match against Qingdao Hainiu, he scored two goals and provided an assist, first assisting Wang Yudong in the second half, then scoring twice through individual skill, passing, dribbling, and shooting; on July 18, he scored another brace at home against Yunnan Yukun. Mitriță's technical skills are excellent; his first goal against Yukun came from easily dribbling past a defender on the left and curling a shot into the far corner, followed by a direct free kick from outside the left side of the penalty area; on the 27th, he scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time against Three Towns, contributing 5 goals and 1 assist in his first four matches after joining. Standing at 1.67 meters, Mitriță's personal skills are outstanding, especially his passing awareness, which is at a unique level in the Super League. However, it is regrettable that he has not yet fully developed chemistry with his teammates, as they have wasted many of his brilliant passes in the four matches.

In contrast to the "small and quick" Mitriță, the 1.91-meter tall Wesley is a big center forward demonstrating "dimensionality reduction attack." He has scored a total of 4 goals in consecutive matches in the Super League, fully showcasing his advantages in physical confrontation and personal ability. In his debut against relegation team Qingdao Hainiu, he scored a hat trick, becoming the second player since Talisca of Guangzhou Evergrande in July 2018 to score a hat trick in his first match, and also the first player in Shenzhen New Pengcheng's history to achieve this. Of Wesley's three goals, two were solo efforts where he used his body and speed to break free from defenders after receiving long passes, and one was a shot following a corner kick where he seized the second ball near the goalpost.

In the subsequent away match against Yukun, Wesley again had a one-on-one opportunity just 7 minutes into the game, but it was unfortunately ruled out for a foul beforehand. In the 41st minute, Wesley received a brilliant pass from Edu Garcia, dribbled past Li Songyi, and scored into an empty net against the advancing goalkeeper, fully proving that his former €30 million market value was not unfounded. If Wesley can maintain this form in the remaining 12 rounds of the second half, the currently struggling New Pengcheng with only 17 points will have no worries about relegation.

Last season, Wesley scored 22 goals in 35 matches in the Turkish league, with a single-season record of 13 goals in a top league (2018/19 season in Ligue 1). This season in the Super League, he has the chance to break his own goal record. With the highly capable and explosive Mitriță and Wesley, they could even contend for the league's top scorer title.

Additionally, Asu-Ekotto, the Equatorial Guinean forward of Shanghai Shenhua, has scored in three consecutive matches, leading the team to take the initiative by scoring first against Guoan in the league and in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Henan. On the evening of the 27th, he scored his third goal against Henan, sealing the victory. Asu-Ekotto has excellent physical qualities and strong ability to create opportunities, making him an important asset for Shenhua's title chase in the second half. However, it is slightly disappointing that although Asu-Ekotto scores in every match, he also misses quite a few scoring opportunities each time.

Zhejiang's 1.87-meter tall center forward Yago Carrelo, despite joining the team later, managed to score by utilizing his personal abilities to evade defenders after coming off the bench against Yukun. However, he wasted one assist from Mitriță in the second half and had another shot saved. Yago's overall performance is acceptable, but he has yet to fully prove his abilities in the shadow of Mitriță's brilliance.

Romanian international center-back Burcă from Yunnan Yukun has played three full matches within eight days in the FA Cup quarter-finals and the Super League, helping the team achieve consecutive victories and reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in history. In the first match against Zhejiang, his compatriot Mitriță was in excellent form, and Yukun's 1-3 defeat away was understandable. Following that, Burcă performed increasingly well against Guangzhou Leopard and Shenzhen New Pengcheng, showing strong pressing awareness, and Yukun conceded only one goal in the two matches, demonstrating the level of a European international center-back.

Shandong Taishan only brought in Spanish defender López from Zaragoza in the last moments, replacing the underperforming Kazar on defense. In his debut against Meizhou Hakka, López played the full match and performed very well, achieving a passing success rate of 98.5%, giving Taishan fans hope for improved defensive quality in the second half.

In contrast to the impressive performances of Mitriță and Wesley, the new foreign player Melendo from Shanghai Port, whose market value once peaked at €10 million, has now dropped to €800,000, clearly underperforming expectations. As a former teammate of Wu Lei at Espanyol, Melendo played only 62 minutes in his debut against Yatai before being injured without any contact. In the second match against Qingdao West Coast, which had just finished a penalty shootout in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Melendo also had little standout performance and was substituted in the 72nd minute. Young substitute Kuai Jiwen performed well in both matches, and if Melendo cannot quickly integrate into the team and regain his form, he may find it difficult to earn the trust of coach Muscat.

Dalian Pro, also mid-table, has seen new foreign winger Peña working hard, increasing his shot count in consecutive matches, with two shots on target against Yatai, but he has lacked luck and needs more time to prove himself.

Aside from Wesley's outstanding performance for the relegation team, Camilo from Changchun Yatai joined the team later and only played half an hour as a substitute against the Port team, during which he had one shot that went wide and succeeded in only one of three dribbles. In the second match at home against Dalian Pro, Camilo was substituted in the second half but continued to perform poorly.

Former Cameroonian international forward Ranko Zé, signed by Qingdao Hainiu, finally scored in his third consecutive start in the Super League, helping his team secure valuable three points. However, the goal had a significant element of luck, and in the third match against Jinmen Tiger, he received a second yellow card during stoppage time and was sent off, nearly costing his team the three points. Although he scored consecutively in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Rongcheng and in the Super League against Jinmen Tiger, it remains uncertain whether Ranko Zé can genuinely enhance Hainiu's attacking power.

Icelandic forward Omarsson, signed by Meizhou Hakka from the Eredivisie club Breda, played the second half in his debut away against Henan and clearly has not yet integrated into the team. Eager to perform but lacking chemistry, he had zero shots in the entire match against Taishan, making it difficult for him to contribute offensively without support from teammates.

In this summer transfer window, six Super League teams have not changed their foreign players. Guoan, after losing consecutively to Shenhua and Rongcheng in mid-July, saw their foreign midfielder Dawon, defender Ngadeu, and Spajic all perform inconsistently. For Guoan, there should have been room for adjustments in their foreign players in the midfield and defense, especially since their recent performance has been poor. The performance of foreign players in the midfield and defense may determine their championship trajectory in the second half. However, Guoan faced a FIFA transfer ban, and by the time the ban was lifted on July 17, there was not enough time to change foreign players. The main title rivals, the Shanghai giants, have both brought in new foreign players, increasing the pressure on Guoan for the championship.

In contrast, Chengdu Rongcheng, although stable overall with defenders Timo and Gurlfinkel and forwards Romulo and Felipe, has seen Karun lacking presence. They could have replaced him during the second transfer window, but unfortunately, the club first encountered a FIFA recruitment ban and then faced external factors, ultimately failing to replace foreign players, and the rumored South Korean player Kang Sang-yu also did not arrive. Fortunately, although the team has not won in consecutive away matches against Three Towns and Jinmen Tiger, they found their form again at home against Guoan with the help of four foreign players. Missing this replacement opportunity, Rongcheng will likely suffer in the second half as they battle on three fronts.

Both Jinmen Tiger and West Coast, two mid-table teams, chose not to change foreign players in the second transfer window as their current foreign players have performed adequately, merely adding domestic reinforcements to strengthen their squads. In contrast, relegation-threatened Henan has not brought in new foreign players, only loaning three newcomers, which is indeed unfortunate. Henan used to excel at bringing in capable foreign players during the second transfer window to avoid relegation, with previous successes like Kalanga and Carton, but this year the club's budget is limited, and after a coaching change, there is no room for replacing foreign players. The second half of the season is still long, and other relegation teams like New Pengcheng, Yatai, and Hainiu have all introduced new players, making Henan's path to survival challenging.