More European trips for Korean stars

Kim Ji-soo trains with the U-20 Korea national team at Estancia Chica training complex in La Plata, Argentina, June 10. Yonhap

If national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann wants to keep tabs on all of his players in the South Korean national team in the coming weeks and months, then the German is going to have to spend more time in Europe.

He won’t mind that especially as more of his stars are making the move.

Experience at the top levels of the European game is never a bad thing, though there are always questions as to how much the Taeguk Warriors will play and what kind of style their new team employs.

It was reported last weekend that Cho Gue-song could be close to joining Watford, a team currently in England’s Championship, the second tier. Cho caught the attention internationally last November when he scored two fine goals for South Korea against Ghana at the World Cup. There was interest earlier in the year from German club FC Mainz and others, but the 2022 K-League top scorer stayed with Jeonbuk until the end of the season.

He said last month that, on the advice of former Manchester United star and current Jeonbuk technical director Park Ji-sung, that a second-tier club may be the best move. England’s Championship may be the second tier, but is one of the most popular and watched around the world. There are teams such as Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester 스포츠 City ― champions of England in 1992, 1995 and 2016, respectively. There are other big teams too, such as Sunderland who often attract over 40,000 and Sheffield Wednesday and many teams spend serious money in a bid to win promotion to the promised land of the Premier League.

Watford has recent English Premier League experience, but it remains to be seen if this team, which is notorious for changing coaches very quickly, is the right environment for Cho. It all comes down to what he learns and what he does. The Bundesliga may well have been a better step, but now the 25 year-old has a full pre-season with Watford.

Then there is Kim Ji-soo, the defender who became the youngest player to appear in the K-League last year for Seongnam FC.

“Next week, Kim will leave Korea to sign for Brentford, a team in England’s EPL. Although it will be hard to see him again, we will hope and pray that he can achieve bigger things, avoid injury and bring joy to football fans as a world class player representing Seongnam and Korea,” Seongnam city Mayor Shin Sang-jin said.

Brentford has established itself in the English Premier League club and is respected as a well-run operation, on and off the field. It could be that the youngster, who was recently in Argentina helping the U-20 team to the last four of the U20 World Cup, is loaned elsewhere as the West Londoners may want the 18 year-old to get some experience elsewhere, whether in England or somewhere else in Europe.

A player who does not need more experience is Kim Min-jae, who is set to leave Napoli after winning the Italian title. The central defender has established himself as one of the best in Europe and is in demand with a host of English Premier League teams such as Manchester United, but is currently being linked strongly with German titans Bayern Munich. With Kim currently completing basic military training back in Korea, there is not likely to be an official move for another few days at least. But when there are such big teams involved in the chase, it is a sign that you have done something right. These are interesting times.

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