Murky Outlook
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
With the season coming to an end, so are South Korean Premier Leaguers' football careers in England.
Other than Manchester United winger Park Ji-sung, who successfully rebounded from a right-knee injury and contributed to his team reaching the Champions League final, the league's Korean players ― Seol Ki-hyeon of Fulham FC, Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham Hotspur and Lee Dong-gook of Middlesbrough ― appear ready to head to new nests.
With each team having only one game remaining on Sunday, most South Koreans are not likely to go out on the pitch in what may be their last outings with their teams, or even in the league.
Lee Young-pyo, who turned 31 last moth, has not played in the last nine games for the Spurs since an appearance in a UEFA Cup round of 16, second-leg match on March 13, while Seol and Lee Dong-gook, who are both 29, have missed 14 straight games.
Under former manager Martin Jol, Lee was an every-week player for Tottenham, but after Juande Ramos took the coaching reins, the new headman preferred to put right back Pascal Chimbonda in Lee's position.
What's worse, the glut of left backs on the team will diminish Lee's value on the squad. The London-based club has Gareth Bale and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who are done for the season due to a knee and foot injury, respectively, in that position, along with Gilberto and Chris Gunter.
There is a silver lining for Lee in that PSV Eindhoven is keen on reacquiring its former star player. Lee played 82 games for the team between 2002 and 2005 under former South Korea national team manager Guus Hiddink before joining the English league.
``He was a good player for us and will always be welcomed here,'' said PSV director Stan Valckx.
``His contract does not expire until 2009, so it is still a long way to go. But if he wants to leave before then, then we are very interested.''
Seol, who joined Fulham on Aug. 31, 2007 following a one-year stint with Reading FC, can be found only in reserve matches. Like Lee, the South Korean international has not secured playtime since the arrival of new manager Roy Hodgson.
In addition, his continuous feuds with managers could make it difficult for him to find a new team. Reading boss Steve Coppell revealed that strained relations between Seol and him led to a trade last year.
His inconsistency may also prevent him from moving in the league.
Middlesbrough misfit Lee is expected to part with the team after failing to impress the coaching staff. The former Pohang Steelers star has played in 29 matches since his league debut on Feb. 24, 2007 and scored only twice, with both goals coming in FA Cup competitions against lower-tier squads.
His manager Gareth Southgate mentioned his departure last moth.
``Obviously he (Lee) hasn't been in the first-team squad for a little while," Southgate told the Evening Gazette last month.
``I think it's been difficult for him in that I think he has not played as well as we might have hoped. But I think he has become a bit of a figure for getting a lot of stick and it's very difficult, especially at home, when I put him on.
``For him and for the team, I think it's been better to involve other players really."
The player's representatives said Lee, whose deal will expire at the end of June, is considering various options such as playing in other European leagues, or joining the J-League or K-League.