While Suwon FC, which dramatically succeeded in staying in the first division, has selected Kim Eun-joong, the main player of the U-20 World Cup semifinal, as its new head coach, the team’s ace Lee Seung-woo is drawing attention as rumors of a transfer have emerged again.
Suwon FC ranked 11th with eight wins, nine draws and 21 losses (33 points) this season. It had the same points as its regional rival, Suwon Samsung, which was directly demoted to the second division league as the last one, but narrowly led the latter in multiple points. In the playoff, the team dramatically reversed its lead after a close game between the Busan I’Park and the Busan I’Park until the playoff, and successfully stayed in the first division.
Coach Kim Do-kyun voluntarily resigned after Suwon FC was confirmed to remain. It was four years after he took the helm of Suwon FC in 2019. Coach Kim has since moved to the head coach of Seoul E-Land in the K-League.
The appearance of the right person 사설 토토사이트
Suwon FC appointed former U-20 national team coach Kim Eun-joong as its top five coaches of the team. While playing in Daejeon, Jeju, Seoul, and Gangwon Province, Kim was a famed striker in a given era, winning the K-League MVP in 2010. After retiring, he served as a coach for the Daejeon Hana Citizen, AFC Tubiz (Belgium), and South Korea’s U-23 national team. Starting in 2022, Kim became the first head coach of the national youth team, and was recognized for his leadership by making it to the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Kim Eun-joong, whose contract with the Korea Football Association (KFA) ended after the U-20 World Cup, has been a member of the Technical Research Group of the Korea Football Association until recently. Suwon FC highly appreciated Kim Eun-joong’s leadership that he showed at the U-20 World Cup, and selected him as the right person to lead the team’s change and rebound. Kim once served as acting coach for the Thubbij (Belgium), but this is the first time he officially took the helm of a professional team in the K-League.
Coach Kim Eun-joong was nicknamed “Sharp” by K-League fans as a past player due to his sharp scoring and penetration as a striker. After retiring from active duty, he started as a Daejeon Hana Citizen playing coach, then took over as a coach for AFC Tubiz and South Korea’s U-23 national team, gaining leadership experience in both national and professional teams by age.
With the inauguration of Kim Eun-joong, an important variable in Suwon FC’s plan for next season will be the future of ace Lee Seung-woo. After playing in Europe and joining Suwon FC from the 2022 season, Lee scored 14 goals in the first season and 10 goals in the 2023 season, scoring double-digit goals for the second consecutive year. Despite ups and downs, he still scored the most goals in his team.
Lee Seung-woo, however, is drawing keen attention as he is reportedly moving to E-Land in Seoul, where manager Kim Do-kyun has taken the helm. However, Choi Soon-ho, head of Suwon FC, expressed his displeasure by saying that the story was unilaterally made without any formal discussion between the teams.
Lee Seung-woo has already been involved in transfer rumors several times since last season. Until now, rumors have been circulating that several European teams, including Hearts of Midlothian in the Scottish Premier League, Prosinone Calcio, an Italian Serie A promotion team, and RCD Mallorca, Lee Kang-in’s former team, have shown interest in Lee Seung-woo.
However, Lee remained with the team after much consideration. After foreign player Ras was kicked out for drunk driving, he virtually struggled as an ace, contributing to Suwon FC’s staying in the top flight.