On the evening of July 15, the Chinese Super League (CSL) club Tianjin Jinmen Tiger officially announced the signing of Brazilian foreign player defender Diogo Silva. The player will wear the No. 31 jersey and join the team in this season’s CSL campaign.
Diogo Silva is currently 29 years old, 185 cm tall, and primarily plays as a central defender on the field. It is understood that the reason why Tianjin Jinmen Tiger completed this foreign player signing at the last minute is mainly to replace the foreign player Grant who has injury concerns.
According to a report by Sports Weekly journalist Wang Xiaorui, although Grant had already made his comeback and played the full match in the previous round against Chengdu Rongcheng, Tianjin ultimately decided to replace the foreign player from a precautionary perspective.
Jinmen Tiger head coach Yu Genwei said, “We have made an assessment of Grant’s previous injury situation, including the state and ability he has shown in matches and training. From the team doctor to the fitness coach, including the entire coaching staff, after making an evaluation, we all felt that Grant still carries a certain risk. We hope that he can better recover, undergo treatment again, and fully recover from his injury.”
Prior to this, Jinmen Tiger’s foreign player Grant entered a rest period after Round 5 of the CSL due to a recurrence of his hernia. Typically, recovery from such an injury takes no less than half a year, and up to seven or eight months in some cases. However, eager to return as soon as possible, Grant chose conservative treatment and returned to the pitch again in mid-June. However, affected by the injury, his game performance was far worse than before.
On the evening of July 17, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger will face Changchun Yatai in their FA Cup match. However, new foreign player Diogo Silva has not yet joined the team and will earliest be available for the weekend’s Beijing-Tianjin derby. As for Grant, Tianjin has not yet terminated his contract, and regarding his future, the team still needs to deliberate.