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| Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, left, is in action with Rangers' Connor Goldson during a preseason match at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday. / Reuters-Yonhap |
By John Duerden
The European season starts again soon, with most major leagues kicking off on the first weekend of August ― earlier than usual as the World Cup will be held in November and December ― and, once again, there are a number of South Korean players looking forward to showing what they can do.
Son Heung-min will, of course, be the focus of much of the attention. Last season the forward was the league's Golden Boot winner with 23 goals scored. It was an immense effort and confirmed his place as one of the biggest stars in European soccer. South Korea coach Paulo Bento will be praying that Son stays fit and hoping that he maintains his form, sharpness and confidence.
Under coach Antonio Conte, Spurs rallied in the second half of last season to finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. After a busy summer of signings which included Ivan Perisic coming in from Conte's former club Inter Milan and Brazilian international striker Richarlison costing around $72 million from Premier League rival Everton, Tottenham have what looks to be a deeper and better roster and should be able to improve upon last season.
There is more to prove for Hwang Hee-chan, located about 180 km northwest of Son's North London stadium. Hwang joined Wolverhampton Wanderers last August, first on loan from RB Salzburg in Austria and then in what was a permanent deal. Wolves moved to buy the 26-year-old after he made a fine start in England. Four goals in his first few weeks won the hearts of fans, especially as the team is not a high-scoring one. He picked up a hamstring injury at the end of 2021 that kept him out of the team for a couple of months.
The rest of the season wasn't quite as impressive and fans are now wondering if Hwang has what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of European soccer. Now he has had a full pre-season, almost as he has completed three weeks of military training, and he needs to get back to the form of last autumn.
It will be interesting to see what he can do but even more fascinating to see what happens to Kim Min-jae. The defender had a good first season with Turkish giant Fenerbahce, so much so that he has been in demand. In recent months Tottenham and Everton have shown interest but it looks as if the 25-year-old is going to play for Italian giant Napoli. Italy is seen as the home of defending and the experience will do him no harm at all. It will also be great for the Korean national team if he can star in Italy.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom was playing in Russia but after events in Ukraine, he returned home to play temporarily for FC Seoul. Now he has been linked with Olympiacos in Greece. The under-rated player would benefit from such an experience.
Hwang Ui-jo is also ready to move, as his French team Bordeaux was relegated last season. The striker has claimed interest from England and elsewhere in France. "I am waiting; nothing is decided yet," Hwang reportedly said. "There will be more details to give you depending on the financial situation of Bordeaux. It is true that offers have arrived from FC Nantes and West Ham United as well."
With a number of German-based players such as Lee Jae-sung and Jeong Woo-yung, this is going to be another fascinating and important season for Koreans in Europe. The World Cup, coming in the middle of it, just makes it more so.
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