Cho Gyu-seong (25), a striker for Jeonbuk Hyundai in the K-League 1, who emerged as a 'surprise star' at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, revealed his thoughts on advancing to Europe.
"I'm thinking about when to go to Europe. Like everyone else, my ultimate goal is the English Premier League (EPL)," said Cho Kyu-sung.
Local reports are coming out one after another that European teams are paying attention to Cho Kyu-seong, who took the lead in Korea's advance to the round of 16 by scoring multiple goals in the match against Ghana.
There are three clubs that have made formal offers to Cho Kyu-sung.
Two of these are known to be European clubs, such as Mainz (Germany) and Celtic (Scotland).
Cho Kyu-sung wants to go to Europe this winter, which is attracting attention, but Jeonbuk is in the position that going in the summer is good for both the club and Cho Kyu-sung.
In particular, the club is persuading Cho Kyu-seong, saying that it is better to adapt to the summer when European teams are forming a 'new edition'.
Cho Kyu-seong met with reporters at the club's winter field training media camp held at the Jeonbuk Clubhouse in Wanju, Jeonbuk on the 12th and carefully expressed his desire to leave for Europe in the winter.
Cho Kyu-seong said, "There have been many articles, but I haven't heard anything specific," and added, "I'm communicating with technical director Park Ji-seong, director Kim Sang-sik, and my agent about whether it's better to go in January or summer."
He emphasized that he had the confidence to compete even if he went to Europe right away, saying, "After the World Cup, I was very busy (with activities other than soccer). But I exercised consistently once every two days."
"Honestly, any player has the same desire to go out immediately when a good opportunity comes," he said. "If I don't go out now, the teams that want me now may not want me in the summer. said.
Still, Cho Kyu-seong said, “If I go now, (existing players) are ready, and I’m just lifting my body up after taking a break. I have to hit 100%, but the biggest question is how competitive I will be. ) I also think about how long I can wait.”
It is known that Mainz, where senior striker Lee Jae-seong of the national team belongs, is particularly active in recruiting Cho Kyu-seong. He said, "Thank you for caring about Jaeseong hyung. I think it's fortunate that I have a hyung."
Cho Kyu-seong, who stated that his ultimate goal is to 'enter the EPL', said he wanted to go to a team that can grow as much as possible.
Cho Kyu-seong said, "In the end, if you are a soccer player, you set your final goal. Everyone and every player wants to go to the EPL. To go to the EPL, I will think about which team wants me more and which team I should go to to play more games and grow more. "he said.
Regarding the timing of the final decision, Cho Kyu-sung emphasized, "We will make a decision as soon as possible."
(Photo = Yonhap News)