After 4-5 Defeat to Shanghai Shenhua, Sorokin Loses Starting Spot as Contract Extension Remains Uncertain, Chengdu Rongcheng Face Pressure in Title Race and AFC Champions League

On September 6, 2026, during the Chinese Super League title race run-in, Chengdu Rongcheng had previously led the standings with a 14-point advantage, but the team was hindered at this crucial stage by uncertainty over the renewal of a foreign defender. Thirty-year-old foreign center-back Sorokin joined the club as a free agent at the start of the season and was viewed as a high-quality signing described as an 'elite-level Champions League defender acquired without a transfer fee.' However, with the final five league rounds approaching and the AFC Champions League Elite competition about to begin, he has fallen into an awkward situation due to a lower place in the selection order and unresolved contract talks.

Going back to the end of 2025, Chengdu Rongcheng's veteran foreign center-back Lechette officially retired, leaving a clear gap in the team's foreign-player defensive position.

Sorokin had originally signed a preliminary agreement with Wuhan Three Towns, but on the match day he suddenly received notice that the other side had canceled the deal. Chengdu Rongcheng seized the opportunity and completed the entire signing process within 48 hours, bringing in the former Champions League clearances ranking second defender.

In the 2024-2025 season, Sorokin represented FC Kairat Almaty in the Champions League main competition and recorded 56 clearances and 27 successful aerial duels, with both figures ranking among the top two players in that season's Champions League. The signing was considered by many fans as one of the best moves of the season.

His early-season performances matched outside expectations. In the February 2026 AFC Champions League match against Buriram United, Sorokin delivered a precise long pass that directly assisted a goal, showing his passing ability in an official match for the first time.

On April 22 in Chinese Super League Round 7 against Yunnan Yukun, Sorokin scored the go-ahead goal. By then, his aerial duel success rate had reached 72%, ranking among the top three foreign center-backs in the CSL during the same period. The team rose to the top of the standings, and Sorokin's defensive value appeared almost unquestionable.

He played every match in the first 12 league rounds. During that period Chengdu Rongcheng conceded only seven goals, averaging 0.58 goals allowed per game, with defensive efficiency ranking first in the CSL at the time.

The turning point came in May 2026, when CSL teams gradually identified Sorokin's technical weaknesses. His 1.91-meter height provided a dominant aerial advantage but also came with the natural disadvantage of slower turning speed, leading many opponents to use fast wingers to attack his defensive area directly.

From May to August, Sorokin recorded six positioning errors when defending agile wingers one-on-one, accounting for 42% of all center-back positioning errors by the team. The issue had previously been covered by the overall defensive system but became exposed in the second half of the season.

A more important change came from head coach Aloisi's tactical adjustment, moving Sorokin, originally a center-back, forward into the defensive midfield position. The positional change reduced his average successful aerial duels from 4.2 to 2.8 and lowered his passing accuracy from 87% to 79%, weakening the advantages he originally had.

On August 22 in CSL Round 24, Chengdu Rongcheng lost 4-5 at home to Shanghai Shenhua. The five goals conceded in one match set the team's league record for goals allowed this season, and the nine-goal thriller became Sorokin's most controversial match of the campaign.

He made three key mistakes that directly led to goals, while Shenhua foreign player Asue repeatedly broke through the defensive area he covered and eventually completed a hat-trick.

In the 21st minute, Asue broke through Sorokin's defense and curled in a shot to equalize. In the 51st minute, Sorokin's clearance error allowed the opponent to steal the ball and score directly. In the 67th minute, Sorokin's defensive positioning mistake allowed Asue to win possession and complete his hat-trick. All three errors came at key moments and directly turned the team from a winning position into defeat.

After the match, veteran commentator Su Dong said in a public review that the entire responsibility should not be placed on Sorokin, as insufficient support from the full-backs and midfielders also contributed. Shenhua's attacking combination of Wu Xi, Teixeira, and Asue performed at a very high level, but outside criticism was almost entirely focused on Sorokin.

One week later, in CSL Round 25, Chengdu Rongcheng defeated Liaoning Tieren 2-1 at home, while Sorokin was not included in the starting lineup and remained on the bench.

After the victory, the team reached 51 points and led the second-place side by 14 points, with AFC Champions League qualification basically secured. However, discussion about Sorokin being dropped continued.

Many fans began comparing Sorokin with last season's foreign center-back Timo, believing that Sorokin and Han Pengfei's partnership lacked the aggressive pressing style of last season's center-back pairing and did not match the common expectations for a foreign defensive leader in the CSL.

However, data from the same period showed that by Round 20, Chengdu Rongcheng had actually conceded fewer goals than at the same stage last season, with their defensive ranking remaining among the league's upper tier. Sorokin's average successful forward passes were much higher than Timo's last season, while his aerial ability and covering support were evident in many matches against strong opponents. In the last five matches where Sorokin started, the team recorded three clean sheets and conceded only two goals, with no dramatic decline in defensive stability.

The main reason Sorokin's renewal prospects became complicated was the club's salary space rules and adjustments to renewal priorities.

According to the financial regulations officially implemented by the Chinese football authorities in December 2025, the CSL foreign player's individual pre-tax annual salary cap is 3 million euros, while the total pre-tax annual salary for all foreign players cannot exceed 10 million euros. With salary space strictly limited, the club cannot offer long-term contracts to two high-salary foreign players at the same time.

On August 7, Chengdu Rongcheng announced that they had renewed striker Felipe's contract, with the new deal potentially extending through the 2028 season. The long-term contract used up much of the club's remaining foreign-player renewal resources for the season.

Felipe has scored 14 goals in 17 appearances this season and remains the team's most reliable scorer, making his renewal priority naturally higher than Sorokin's, whose form has shown noticeable fluctuations.

Another key foreign player whose renewal issue has been delayed is Romulo. The midfield core who followed the team from the China League One era has made 23 appearances in the 2026 season, recording only one goal and four assists, with his shot-on-target rate dropping to 15.6%. No formal renewal negotiation meeting has been arranged so far.

According to Chinese Football Association regulations, players can contact other clubs three months before their contracts expire. Sorokin's current contract expires at the end of December 2026, meaning he has been eligible to pre-sign a new contract since September.

Sorokin remains on the first-team training list and has not been sent to the reserves or suspended. At a pre-match press conference in late August, Aloisi publicly stated that Sorokin's technical characteristics fit the team's tactical system, and the coaching staff was adjusting midfield defensive arrangements to fill local defensive gaps. The overall defensive integration was improving, but he still did not provide a clear timetable for Sorokin's renewal.

Chengdu Rongcheng must now complete the final CSL title push while preparing for the AFC Champions League Elite competition. Under the 2026 CSL '6655' foreign-player policy, clubs can adjust only one foreign-player slot during the summer window, while the AFC competition has no limit on foreign-player registration numbers. Calls from fans for the club to strengthen the center-back position have remained strong.

Amid tighter financial conditions across the CSL, the club's renewal strategy is clear: prioritize long-term deals and high salaries for players who can continue providing stable contributions rather than paying for past achievements.

Sorokin's future will ultimately be decided by his actual performances on the pitch during the remaining league matches.