FC Seoul is raising expectations for the 2023 season while preparing for the season quickly.
Seoul ranked 9th in the final of the 2022 K-League 1. He narrowly avoided the promotion playoffs and remained. Staying out of the relegation zone was encouraging, but not satisfying. Coach Ahn Ik-soo’s build-up soccer through various positional changes did not show any effect, and even injured players appeared one after another in the tight schedule, taking a hit on performance and performance.
In order to return to the ‘Seoul-like’ appearance, he prepared for the 2023 season quickly. First of all, it was necessary to fill the power vacuum caused by the enlistment of Young-wook Cho, Jong-gyu Yoon, and Sang-min Lee as managing director Kim Cheon. Seoul recruited experienced winger Lim Sang-hyeop from Pohang Steelers to fill the vacant position of Cho Young-wook. Lim Sang-hyeop will form a new duo with Kang Seong-jin and fill the right side where Cho Young-wook is missing.
They were not satisfied with clinical consultation alone. Seoul added Willian, who proved his skills in Gyeongnam FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen. Willian can play anywhere on the flank and his good kicking ability can improve his overall attacking quality. Syrian winger Hossam Aish was also brought to Willian. Cho Young-wook Apart from filling the void, it is Seoul that has significantly increased its flank attack options. Na Sang-ho’s burden will also be reduced.
Yoon Jong-gyu’s vacant position was filled with the recruitment of Park Soo-il and Lee Si-young. Side by side, the two fullbacks from Seongnam FC have the advantage of being versatile. He mainly plays as a right fullback, but can also play as a leftback. In the case of Park Soo-il, he also plays as a midfielder, which fits perfectly with manager Ahn Ik-soo’s tactics, which instructs the fullback to move to the center. With Ko Kwang-min, Lee Tae-seok, and Kim Jin-ya, 먹튀검증 there are more fullback options with Park Soo-il and Lee Si-young.
Kwon Wan-gyu replaces Lee Sang-min. Kwon Wan-kyu is a K-League veteran center back who played for Incheon United, Pohang, and Seongnam. He can be used anywhere in the 4th and 3rd backs, and he is good at forward-looking and build-up to the point where he is even seen as a fullback. He is also a combative type, so he seems to naturally take over Lee Sang-min’s role. It is important to adapt to existing center backs such as Osmar and Lee Han-beom, and to adapt to coach Ahn Ik-soo’s back play tactics.
As such, Seoul replaced the missing players well. Some positions became plus alphas. Kim Kyung-min was recruited here. Kim Kyung-min is a striker who combines speed and the ability to dominate the air. It is clear that he will be a sure force for Seoul, which has few strikers other than Ilyuchenko who can perform the post play. Choi Cheol-won, who boasted an impregnable defense at Bucheon FC 1995, filled the vacant goal for Yang Han-bin to Japan.
There were also rumors of Hwang Eui-jo’s transfer. Reporter Fabricio Romano, who is familiar with the transfer market, said on the 12th (Korean time), “American Major League Soccer (MLS) teams are very interested in Hwang Ui-jo, who is likely to terminate the lease with Olympiacos, and Seoul is the same.” An official from Seoul denied the rumor of Hwang Eui-jo’s transfer, saying, “I have never made an official proposal. There was no movement before the proposal.”
“Hwang Eui-jo is unable to transfer to the European leagues this season after playing in Bordeaux and Olympiacos official matches (FIFA rules). So, there are rumors of a transfer to a club outside of Europe, and it seems that he is connected to the United States and Asia. Anyway, we have never made an offer. It’s hard to say for sure, but I’m thinking of drawing this season’s picture as a member of the training camp consisting of the existing team and recruits.”
Seoul has not been able to meet the fans’ expectations lately. I always shouted that this year was different, but this season seems to be going through a really different process as I prepare more systematically and quickly. The Seoul team is currently sweating through battery training in Hua Hin, Thailand.