카지노Kim Ji-soo (19-Seongnam FC), dubbed the “next Kim Min-jae” and a key defender for Kim Eun-jung, is heading to the English Premier League (EPL). His destination is Brentford FC.
“We have signed young Korean defender Ji-Ji Kim, who played for Seongnam FC in the K League 2, on a 4+1 year contract,” the club announced on its website on June 26.
“We have decided not to disclose the transfer fee,” the club said, adding that the deal is for a four-year contract with an option for a one-year extension. “Kim will join the B team this week for pre-season training alongside his new teammates.”
Kim Ji-soo has attracted a lot of attention as a long defender with excellent physical attributes at 192 centimeters tall. Last year, he made his debut in the K League 1 as a semi-professional, appearing in 19 games and anchoring the team’s defense. This year, he played one game in the K League 2 before joining Kim Eun-jung’s team at the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where he helped them reach the quarterfinals.
Kim started all three group stage matches of the U-20 World Cup and showed his solid defensive abilities. He also played well in the round of 16 against Ecuador and the quarterfinals against Nigeria, leading South Korea to the quarterfinals. For his steady performance, Kim was named to the tournament’s Best 11.
Brentford had high hopes for Kim Ji-soo. The club said of Kim: “She has 29 international caps across three age-group competitions under the Taeguk-mark. Most recently, she represented her country at the U-20 World Cup.”
“Ji-soo is an excellent prospect who was in demand from many teams in Europe this summer,” said Brentford director Phil Giles.
Brentford have already been monitoring Kim Ji-Soo, with director Phil Giles “keen to help him settle in”
“Kim Ji-Soo played very well at the recent U-20 World Cup, so it’s an honor for the club to have him on board,” said Phil Giles, who added: “We will help him learn English and settle into life in England, and we will give him plenty of time to develop in the B team. Like all the players in the B team, he will have the opportunity to train and play with the first team based on his performance.”
Brentford added: “Highly-rated central defender Kim Ji-soo came through the Seongnam FC youth system before signing a professional contract. After impressing last year, he played in front of over 60,000 fans in July 2022 during a friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and the K League All-Stars. “Kim will now travel to west London to join the B team on the 29th of this month (local time) in preparation for the 2023-24 season,” said Brentford.
Local reviews of Kim had already been favorable. Last month, the Daily Mail reported that “Brentford are in talks to sign South Korean star Kim Ji-Soo, who has a £56m ($90m) buyout clause. Bayern Munich (Germany) and Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) are also interested in Kim.” “Kim Ji-Soo has been compared to £55 million Napoli player Kim Min-Jae, who is on the radar of Manchester United (England) and Paris Saint-Germain (France),” said the Daily Mail, while Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the European transfer market, added: “Kim Ji-Soo is regarded as a top talented defender and was in the best 11 at the U-20 World Cup.”
Kim Ji-soo’s transfer to Brentford is also auspicious for Seongnam FC, as he has steadily progressed through the club’s youth team. Seongnam FC CEO Kim Young-ha announced Kim’s transfer to Brentford on the evening of the 26th, saying, “I would like to congratulate (Kim) Ji-soo, who started as a youth player at Seongnam FC and completed seven years with the club. Thanks to (Kim) Ji-soo, Seongnam is once again known to the world. It is also a great achievement of the club and a good example that shows that the youth leaders are striving to develop players in a good direction.” “We will support (Kim) Ji-soo a lot as he moves forward to a bigger stage, and we will give a lot of strength to the club’s youth soccer to foster the second Kim Ji-soo with more support and a good environment.”
Brentford has a long and storied history, having been founded in 1889. After a playoff run in the 2020-21 season, the club returned to the top flight after 74 years. The club is currently managed by Danish coach Thomas Frank, 50. The club finished the 2022-23 season with 15 wins, 14 draws, and nine losses (59 points), good for ninth place out of 20 teams. Only three points separate them from sixth-place Brighton & Hove Albion (62 points), who have a Europa League spot at stake. Only one point separates them from eighth-place Tottenham (60 points), where Son Heung-min plays, and Brentford’s defense was particularly solid last season, ranking fifth in the league in fewest goals conceded. They finished fifth in fewest goals conceded (46), behind Manchester City and Newcastle (33+) and Arsenal and Manchester United (43+). But with their starting center backs in their 30s, the team had to start thinking about generational change, and Kim Ji-Soo came on the radar.
In doing so, Kim became the 15th Korean Premier League player of all time, joining Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo, Seol Ki-hyun, Lee Dong-guk, Kim Doo-hyun, Cho Won-hee, Lee Chung-yong, Ji Dong-won, Park Joo-young, Ki Sung-yong, Yoon Seok-young, Kim Bo-kyung, Son Heung-min, and Hwang Hee-chan. Kim is the first Korean central defender to reach the EPL. He is also the first player from the K League 2 to make the jump to the EPL.
SAT