On the 1st (hereafter Korean time), the winter transfer market in major European leagues was closed. Some of the domestic players took advantage of this period to challenge Europe. On the other hand, ‘Korean glass leaguers’ such as Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) and Kim Min-jae (Napoli), who were linked to other teams in Europe, promised the summer transfer market for the first time.
The transfer that surprised domestic football fans the most was the transfer of Oh Hyun-gyu, who also played for Suwon Samsung, to Celtic (Scotland).
Suwon initially rejected Celtic’s offer, considering Oh Hyun-kyu a ‘unique resource’, but eventually agreed to the transfer by offering a whopping 3 million euros (about 4.2 billion won).
Oh Hyun-kyu, who is the 27th player without a uniform number at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, stepped onto the European stage like that.
Oh Hyun-kyu was substituted in the league match against Dundee United on January 30, 5 days after the transfer, and immediately made his debut. It remains to be seen, but Celtic coach Ange Postecoglu trusts him, saying, “O Hyun-kyu will definitely leave a strong impression,” so his performance is expected.
Ji-soo Park. Capture of SNS PortimonenseNational team defender Park Ji-soo joined Portimonense (Portugal) and became a European player.
Park Ji-soo, who was granted free agent status due to financial difficulties in Guangzhou (China), a sponsored team in December last year, made efforts to advance to Europe by accompanying a personal trainer on her honeymoon destination.
Also, this transfer was helped by the former coach of the Korean national football team, Paulo Bento, who is from Portugal. Reporter Pedro Sepulveda, who is well versed in Portuguese football, explained the background of the transfer through his SNS on the 25th, saying, “It was on the basis (of the transfer) that Bento, who was with the Korean national team, mentioned Park .Ji-soo is positive.”
Following Oh Hyun-kyu, the ’27th player’, Park Ji-soo, who was injured just before the entry announcement, was not an official member of the Qatar World Cup, so it is interesting.
On the other hand, Cho Kyu-seong (Jeonbuk), who became a star by scoring multiple goals against Ghana in the Qatar World Cup group stage, decided to stay first.
Several foreign teams, including Celtic, who recruited Oh Hyun-kyu, Mainz 05 (Germany) and Minnesota (Germany), showed keen interest in Cho Kyu-sung and heated up the winter transfer market.
Kyu-Sung Cho. Provided by the Korea Professional Football FederationHowever, after comprehensively considering the transfer fee, location, and customization, Cho Kyu-seong decided to aim for the summer transfer market when Europe starts the new season.
In addition, players already active in Europe were said to be transferred throughout the transfer window, but as a result, there was no movement.
Newcastle United, Aston Villa (above England), and Atletico Madrid (Spain) expressed interest in Lee Kang-in, who performed well in the World Cup.
However, Mallorca intend to stay with Lee Kang-in until the end of this season. As the club did not allow the transfer, it was difficult for the negotiations to progress easily despite great interest.
Lee Kang-in expressed his dissatisfaction indirectly, such as unfollowing the club’s official SNS, but in the end, he decided to do his best for the rest of the season.
Dubbed the “wall of Serie A,” Kim Min-jae is being watched by Manchester United and Liverpool (above England).
However, this also fell through as the current team, Napoli, made a policy not to allow the transfer, such as negotiating with Kim Min-jae to raise the purchase.
However, as both players are still showing good form in their teams, if the current momentum continues, the big clubs’ courtship is expected to continue.
Hwang Eui-jo (Olympiacos), the leading striker of the Korean national football team, is still open to the possibility of changing teams.
Hwang Ui-jo, who failed to secure a place at Olympiacos (Greece), played for Bordeaux (France) and Olympiacos this season. Because of this, it is not easy to transfer within Europe because it is tied to a clause that can only play in up to two teams in a season.
Therefore, Hwang Ui-jo has to move to a league that is held in Korea, Japan, and the United States to continue the challenge in the new team.
Currently, some American Major League Soccer (MLS) teams are interested in him. The European transfer window is closed, but there is nothing wrong with leaving the team.
(Seoul = News 1)
