Liao Media: Seven Young Players Join in Secondary Transfer Window; Liaoning Tiedren Accelerates Cultivation of New “Liaoxiaohu”

According to the Shenyang Daily, the secondary transfer window for this season’s China League One has just closed. On the deadline day, Liaoning Tiedren Football Club announced that five young players had joined the first team. Adding the two players who were promoted from the U19 squad to the first team in the previous two days, a total of seven young players have been introduced during this secondary transfer period. Among the 32 players on the first-team roster, as many as 14 are under 20 years old. The clear intention of Liaoning Tiedren is to integrate young players into the first team as soon as possible, allowing them to gain experience through league play and accelerating the cultivation of a new generation of “Liaoxiaohu,” laying a solid foundation for the team’s overall resurgence.

U23 Players Now Exceed Half of the Team

Of the seven young players who joined the first team during this secondary transfer window, four came from the Liaoning Tiedren youth system. Seventeen-year-old Han Yuchen plays as a winger and possesses strong abilities in flank penetration and organization. In 2019, he represented the Liaoning Tiedren U12 squad to win the national championship at the fourth “Marylei Cup.” In May 2021, he was selected for the Chinese U16 national men’s football team. Recently, Han Yuchen represented China to win the championship at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Cup. Also seventeen, Ning Zhengxuan plays as a midfielder. In 2024, he was selected for the FISU World Cup training camp. Eighteen-year-old Pilikani Nijiat plays as a defensive midfielder and serves as the midfield “commander” for the Liaoning Tiedren U19 squad. Eighteen-year-old Pang Shenghan plays as a full-back, known for his speed and excellent ability to assist.

Twenty-year-old Chen Yongze was originally part of the Liaoning Hongyun youth squad before joining Dalian Pro FC. He stood out in the Youth Super League, helping his team win the national U19 championship and finish third in the U17 division. During the 2022 season, the then eighteen-year-old Chen Yongze made his Super League debut in a match against Wuhan FC. In 2023, he was an absolute starter for the Dalian Pro U21 team, helping them secure third place in the national Youth Super League.

Eighteen-year-old Yang Shengming plays as a center back, demonstrating proactive running and a tough style of play. Last year, he represented Liaoning Shengjingren in the national U19 league and was named the best player in a single match.

Joining on loan from Beijing Guoan, central defender Ruan Qilong, aged 23, is one of the standout young players at Liaoning Tiedren. In the league match against Shanghai Jiading Hulong on July 20th at home, he came on in the second half with a steady performance. Ruan Qilong began representing Beijing Guoan in the Super League in 2021, scoring two goals in the 2022 season and providing one assist in the FA Cup. In 2024, he represented the Olympic team at the U23 Asian Cup. This young center back, who has played in the Super League for several years, is likely to become a key figure in Liaoning Tiedren’s defense in the future.

After the introduction of seven young players in the secondary transfer window, there are now 17 players under 23 years old among the 32 players on the Liaoning Tiedren first-team roster, making up the majority. Fourteen of these players are under 20 years old, clearly indicating the club’s determination to rejuvenate its squad.

Awaiting the Emergence of the New “Liaoxiaohu”

Zhang Wei, deputy general manager of Liaoning Tiedren, explained: “At the beginning of this year and during this secondary transfer window, we introduced a large number of young players to our first team, most of whom were trained by our own youth system. Players like Zhang Jiaming, Han Yuchen, and Ning Zhengxuan, all 17 years old, have previously won multiple national youth championships with their squads and are a group of young talents that the club has focused on cultivating. Zhang Jiaming has already scored two goals in the League One and two in the FA Cup, becoming a regular starter for the first team. We believe that more promising stars will emerge from our U17 squad in the future. Additionally, we have brought in several talented newcomers from other clubs, such as 20-year-old Qian Junhao and 21-year-old Gui Zihan, both of whom have become starters and scored league goals, showing rapid progress.”

Regarding the team’s push for rejuvenation, Zhang Wei stated: “Young players represent the hope for the future resurgence of Liaoning Tiedren. Bringing more potential young players into the first team is aimed at helping them quickly adapt to the rhythm and atmosphere of professional leagues, as well as the intensity of training. If given the opportunity, the coaching staff will arrange for them to play in matches, enabling them to improve rapidly through actual competition. In the near future, the club will certainly promote the transition of generations, and these young players who have already joined the first team will be our fresh forces.”

Li Yingfa, the 81-year-old Chinese football legend and honorary chairman of the Liaoning Football Association, has attended multiple rounds of the China League One matches at the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center to cheer for Liaoning Tiedren. He stated directly that if Liaoning football wants to achieve further glory, it must see the emergence of a new batch of “Liaoxiaohu.” “The ‘ten consecutive championships’ of Liaoning football relied mainly on the group of young players led by Ma Lin, Tang Yaodong, and Fu Yubin. In 1999, Liaoning narrowly missed creating the Chinese version of the ‘Kaiserslautern Miracle’ in the Jia-A League thanks to the sensational emergence of Li JinYu, Zhao JunZhe, Zhang Yuning, and that batch of ‘Liaoxiaohu.’ I hope that the new batch of ‘Liaoxiaohu’ cultivated by Liaoning Tiedren can rise soon and help Liaoning football achieve new glories.”