Kim Jin-gyu poses with the K-League 1 championship trophy▶ Click here for a larger view
Jeonbuk Hyundai, a professional soccer K-League 1 ‘defending champion’ who fell to the relegation zone, has recruited national team midfielder Kim Jin-gyu (25) for a rebound.
Jeonbuk announced on the 17th that they had signed Kim Jin-gyu from Busan I’Park.
Jinkyu Kim made his professional debut in Busan in 2015 when he was 18 years old, and has grown into a key midfielder for the team early on. He has already made 135 appearances in the K League and has 18 goals and 11 assists.
He was also consistently selected for the national team by age group. He helped win the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 (U23) Championship, and even competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Earlier this year, he was selected for the A team for the first time in his life.
He scored his debut goal and assist in his national team debut against Iceland (Korea 5-1 win), and scored the opening goal in the ensuing match against Moldova (Korea 4-0 win).
Kim Jin-gyu was also included in the national team roster to be convened ahead of the March A match.
Jeonbuk, which is challenging for the K League 1 6 straight victories and 10th career championship, has dropped down to 11th place in the relegation zone with 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses, including 3 recent losses.
Baek Seung-ho (centre) and Kim Jin-gyu (right) congratulate him in the evaluation match against Iceland in Turkey last January▶ Click here for a larger view
Lee Yong, Lee Yu-hyeon, Han Kyo-won, etc. were pointed out as the cause of the deterioration of Jeonbuk’s performance because too much burden was placed on Baek Seung-ho, who is in charge of solving the game in the midfield, along with the sluggishness of the front-end goalkeepers.
With Kim Jin-gyu’s joining, Jeonbuk can manage their midfield more firmly.
Kim Jin-gyu already has experience working with Jeonbuk players, including Baek Seung-ho, in the national team. The club and Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-sik expect him to quickly integrate into the team.
Kim Jin-gyu said, “I have been watching the Jeonbuk match this season with interest,” and “I will quickly adapt and become a helpful player for the team.”
Jinkyu Kim joined the squad and started training for the home game with Sangmu Kimcheon, which was held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium at 7 pm on the 19th.
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