Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

As the Chinese Super League (CSL) heads toward the 2026 season, a quiet but profound transformation is taking shape on the touchlines as a significant number of clubs have announced new head coaches.  

One of the most striking trends in the 2026 pre-season is the scale of domestic coach appointments. Roughly half of the 16 CSL clubs have made changes at the top, and a notable proportion of replacements were domestic, many of them younger, energetic coaches in their 40s.

Take Zheng Zhi, for instance. The former national team captain, long a symbol of Chinese football's stature on the pitch, has taken over at Qingdao West Coast, replacing Shao Jiayi who left to become China's national team coach. 

It's Zheng's first full-time head coach role, but the club's confidence in him reflects a broader belief that domestic leaders, with their cultural fluency and communication instincts, can build teams that are tactically competent and emotionally cohesive.

In another example, Chen Tao, who guided Shenzhen Peng City through a relegation scrap as a caretaker, was rewarded with a full-time mandate. 

Similarly, Liu Jianye was appointed by newly promoted Chongqing Tongliang Long, and other clubs have entrusted younger local strategists with substantial responsibility. 

This pattern marks a clear departure from the CSL's former reliance on foreign coaches parachuted in to rescue troubled campaigns. It suggests a deliberate move toward longer ramp-up periods and structural continuity. 

Though football is rarely transformed overnight by imports alone, growth usually starts at home. 

The often-cited hybrid model, a local head coach supported by foreign technical assistants, is emerging as the new norm, aimed at combining communication fluency with external tactical inspiration. 

It is believed that Shao's experience of leading Qingdao West Coast with the assistance of German coach Reiner Maurer to the club's all-time best result in the CSL earned him the trust to take on the national team's coaching role.

Historically, the lack of opportunities for Chinese coaches was not simply a matter of preference but a structural issue rooted in the league's heavy reliance on foreign managers. This imbalance not only limited Chinese coaches' exposure to top level match management but also made it difficult for them to develop tactical autonomy and long term team building experience.

The entrenched belief among many club owners that "foreign is better" compounded this issue. For years, domestic coaches were often seen as suitable only for short term assignments or lower pressure teams, while marquee foreign coaches were hired to chase results. With limited chances to lead first division sides through full seasons, even talented Chinese coaches struggled to build resumes that could command trust at higher levels.

The 2026 season's shift toward domestic leadership thus represents more than just a trend. It reflects a correction in the league's developmental logic, where local tactical education and long term coaching careers are finally being taken seriously.

Another managerial shift that observers are calling is the "Aussie wave" of the CSL. After Australian coach Kevin Muscat led Shanghai Port to win the league title, three more clubs have announced the appointment of coaches who are Australian or used to coach in Australia.

Perhaps the most eye-catching of these is Nick Montgomery, a 44-year-old Scottish man framed by local media as part of the Australian coaching milieu due to his prior experience in the Australian football league. 

Montgomery took over at Beijing Guoan, one of China's most followed clubs, marking a rare instance of international coaching chops being sought explicitly to cultivate a more dynamic playing style.

At a press conference earlier this week, Montgomery recalled his playing career in 2014, when he was playing for Australian club Central Coast Mariners against Guoan, during which he was tackled by Zhang Xizhe, now captain of Guoan.

Then there are John Aloisi and his brother Ross Aloisi, both figures with strong Australian football pedigrees. John, appointed by Chengdu Rongcheng, and Ross, entrusted with Zhejiang FC, symbolize a stylistic infusion: aggressive, high-pressing, attacking football that prioritizes transitional speed and spatial coherence. 

This "Aussie wave" effectively ­replaces the previous dominance of ­familiar South Korean names such as Choi Kang-hee, Seo Jeong-won and Chang Woe-ryong, suggesting that clubs are now more actively seeking coaches who offer both tactical identity and adaptability rather than mere reputation. 

The deeper story behind both trends, domestic empowerment and Australian-linked arrivals, is the CSL clubs' new pursuit of value and utility. 

The era of "golden purse" football, where clubs chased big-name foreign coaches and players with astronomical salaries, has faded. A combination of tighter budgets, regulatory reforms, and the hard lessons of financial sustainability has forced teams to rethink: payscale alone does not guarantee on-field success. 

Instead, clubs are investing in people who understand context, local coaches who can galvanize squads through shared language and cultural insights, and foreign coaches who bring adaptable philosophies rather than rigid pedigrees. The CSL's current head-coach ­landscape includes a tapestry of different backgrounds, Australian-linked, Mexican, Serbian and Brazilian, indicating a diversified tactical curiosity.

This shift mirrors broader global trends in football. Just as in Europe, where clubs increasingly prioritize data integration, coaching ­continuity and sustainable youth pathways, Chinese clubs are acknowledging that ­football success is built on long-term cultures not short-term glamour.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn