Big summer for Korea's European stars

Ki Sung-yeung of Swansea City and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur train with the national team at Paju National Football Center in Gyeonggi Province in March last year. / Korea Times file

By John Duerden

Another European season is over, bar the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. There is no Korean connection with those two Spanish clubs meaning that Koreans can stop thinking about European football for a while.

Except they cannot. They may not be any league football for the next three months ― although the European Championships will a big deal ― but there are still plenty of issues.

Most conversations will revolve around Lee Chung-yong at Crystal Palace and Ki Sung-yeung at Swansea City in the English Premier League.

Part of the discussion will be about the national team. South Korea coach Uli Stielike said recently that only those who played regularly would be chosen to represent their country in the final round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

The German may or may not be serious. Plenty of his predecessors have said something similar, but when it came down to it, the favorites were usually selected.

It is hard to imagine that Ki, the national team captain, not getting the call if he is not in action at Swansea, but you never know.

Regardless, it is surely better for all concerned if the Koreans overseas are playing as much as possible. Having the occasional rest is fine, but when the ratio of rest far outweighs time on the field, then there is a problem.

Ki’s situation is surprising. The midfielder was not only the standout player at Swansea City in the 2014-15 season, he was one of the league’s best players. This year has been a traumatic one for club and player.

Garry Monk was fired in December after one win in 13 games left the Swans worrying about relegation. Alan Curtis came in for a while to steady the ship and in January, Italian coach Francesco Guidolin took over.

In the end, Swansea finished 12th. Ki started 21 games, which is not bad at all, but the season paled alongside the previous one. Instability at the club made things tough for everyone.

This summer is important for Ki. Memories of last season are still fresh and the Korean’s reputation is still high. If he wishes to move, there would still be plenty of potential suitors. There has not been much talk of departure yet, but there is plenty of time.

His former FC Seoul team-mate Lee Chung-yong is in a more difficult position. At times he has struggled to make the substitute bench at Crystal Palace. A spectacular last-minute winner against Stoke City apart, there are few memories.

Lee made headlines in England later in the season with an interview he did with Korean media outlet SportsSeoul in which he expressed his feelings. The translated interview that made it to London was sensationalized, but his frustration at lack of playing opportunities was clear.

The winger has admitted that leaving may be his best option.

There have been more newspaper reports in England suggesting that Tottenham Hotspur may be ready to sell Son Heung-min after the attacker’s first season in London. That would be a surprise, but fans will be watching closely.

Fullback Park Joo-ho is also very much second choice at Borussia Dortmund and with plenty of competition for that position with the national team, Park may also think about a new club.

The European season will start in mid-August, with the final qualification round for the 2018 World Cup starting on Sept. 1. It remains to be seen where some of Korea’s best players are when that happens.