After helping South Korea reach the quarterfinals of the Under-20 World Cup, central defender Kim Ji-soo has become the 15th South Korean player to play in the English Premier League.
He is set to face Tottenham in the opening game, so it will be interesting to see if he can play alongside Son Heung-min. Central defender Kim Ji-Soo, a key member of South Korea’s U-20 World Cup quartet, has signed a four-year contract with an option for a one-year extension with Premier League side Brentford. He becomes the 15th South Korean Premier League player, joining the likes of Park Ji-Sung, Son Heung-Min, and Hwang Hee-Chan. In announcing the signing, Brentford described Kim Ji-Soo as ‘a highly-rated prospect who has attracted interest from a number of teams in Europe this summer’ and ‘performed exceptionally well at the recent U-20 World Cup’. Brentford are a mid-table team in the league with a 130-year history, and Kim will be looking to make the jump to the first team from the B team, where 스포츠토토존 David Beckham’s son also plays, for some time. At just 18 years old, Kim is the youngest and first central defender ever to play in the Korean Premier League. He made his debut for Seongnam FC as a semi-professional last year and was dubbed the ‘next Kim Min-jae’ after his impressive performances at the U-20 World Cup. Kim Ji-soo has raised expectations by calling himself a “smart defender” and revealing his determination. “I would like to say that I am a player who wants the team to do well rather than individual goals. For now, I think I am more of a defender who plays a bit of smart defense. I will try to do better.” The signings of European players are also expected to continue. Lee Kang-in is headed to Paris Saint-Germain in France, while Kim Min-jae’s move to Bayern Munich is looking increasingly likely. As for Hwang Eui-jo, who has been eyeing a return to Europe after wrapping up his loan spell with FC Seoul, there are observers that his recent personal life controversy could be a factor.