As the saying goes, "A good general is hard to come by, but an army of thousands is hard to find", and in the soccer world, having a leader who is both intelligent and courageous is crucial for a team.
Looking back at last season's league, Wuhan Sanzhen had a remarkable record of 16 rounds undefeated. However, facing the challenge of Cangzhou Lions, our side unexpectedly lost.
Shandong Taishan, as the traditional powerhouse of the league, has never shown any weakness against any opponent. Last year, the title fight between Taishan and Wuhan Sanzhen became the focus of the whole season, and Taishan naturally didn't dare to be slack. At the last moment of the league, Taishan encountered Cangzhou Lions, but accidentally lost points and missed a good opportunity to win the championship.
The reason why the Cangzhou Lions were able to overcome Tarzan and Tri-Town in a row was not due to tactical ingenuity. At the root of it, it was the extraordinary strength of the team's big man, Jose Cante, who knocked out the two favorites for the title with his individual ability.
Jose Canter has been a revelation for the Canyon Lions. In just 16 games, he has scored 14 goals and offered several great assists, becoming the centerpiece of the team's offense and defense.
When the Cangzhou Lions first signed Jose Canter, there wasn't a lot of confidence in him. After all, judging from his professional resume, there weren't many highlights. Therefore, the team only signed a six-month contract with him, and his monthly salary was only 800,000 euros. However, José Canter's performance has far exceeded expectations, scoring goals and assisting accurately, becoming the mainstay of the team.
In the face of Jose Cante's outstanding performance, contract renewal has undoubtedly become the top priority for the Cangzhou Lions. However, due to the team's internal financial constraints, the contract renewal negotiations have reached a stalemate. In desperation, José Canter chose to leave.
After leaving Cangzhou Lions, Jose Canter got the attention of other clubs. Although he is 32 years old, with his excellent competitive status, it is not difficult to play another two or three seasons in the Chinese Super League. Teams such as Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Port were in dire need of such a talent with strong financial resources. However, they have never made any substantial progress, only making occasional inquiries. They preferred to trust their own vision on new additions and ignored Jose Canter, who has already proved himself in the Chinese Super League.
It was at this point that Urawa Red Diamonds of the J-League extended an olive branch, inviting José Canter to join with great sincerity. Faced with the refusal of the Cangzhou Lions and the Chinese Super League team, José Canter had no choice but to go to the J-League.
The J-League has a very different style from the Chinese Super League. In the Chinese Super League, the role of foreign players is crucial, both in offense and defense. The J-League, on the other hand, pays more attention to the development of local players, and the tactical arrangements of the coaches are more flexible. In such an environment, it is easier for foreign aiders to play their strengths without having to bear huge pressure like in the Chinese Super League. It is foreseeable that Jose Cante, who is a fish out of water in the Chinese Super League, will have an even better performance once he lands in the J-League. Fortunately, there is no Urawa Red Diamonds in this year's AFC Champions League, otherwise this team would be a strong rival of the Chinese Super League. Meanwhile, José Canter's knowledge of the Chinese Super League makes us wonder who of the Chinese Super League's AFC Champions League teams can challenge for victory.
Finally, it has to be admitted that José Canter's departure is a big loss for the Chinese Super League. Imagine, under the salary restriction policy, can our Chinese Super League still attract cost-effective foreigners like José Canter? His departure makes us wonder if the Chinese Super League giants will regret it.
