The birth of the first Korean teenager in the Premier League is imminent. Kim Ji-soo (19, Seongnam FC), born in 2004, is a ‘large center back’. He received an offer from Brentford of the English Premier League (EPL). Brentford recently sent an official offer to Seongnam for Kim Ji-soo. It is known that a buyout (minimum transfer fee guaranteed) of 700,000 dollars and a cell-on clause were included
. An official from the Seongnam club told Sports Chosun on the 16th, “It is true that Kim Ji-soo received an offer. It is a situation where he has to send it if he presents more than the buyout amount. However, the player is currently abroad due to participating in the national team competition by age. I couldn’t,” he said.
Kim Ji-soo, born in 2004, is regarded as the present and future of Korean football. It is evaluated that he has a solid body of 1m92-84kg and has a high soccer intelligence. He made his K-League 1 debut in his semi-professional status last year when he was in his third year of high school. He is the first semi-professional for the Seongnam club. He appeared in 19 games in his debut season. He also holds the record for the youngest ever appearance in the First Division career. Kim Ji-soo, who played against Suwon Samsung in the 12th round last year, was 17 years and 140 days old. He signed a formal professional contract this season 카지노사이트.
The performance of the national team by age is also dazzling. After passing through the U-17 national team, he is currently playing for the U-20 national team led by coach Kim Eun-joong. Kim Ji-soo is preparing for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which opens in Argentina on the 20th (Korean time) as a member of ‘Kim Eun-joong’. Although he is young, he is standing shoulder to shoulder with his older brothers by repeatedly skipping grades. Kim Ji-soo is also considered a member of the Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics team led by coach Hwang Seon-hong.
British local media such as Sky Sports and Daily Mail are also reporting related information. In particular, the Daily Mail said, ‘Brentford is negotiating to recruit Korean star Kim Ji-soo. Jisoo Kim is highly regarded throughout Europe. Bayern Munich (Germany) and Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) also paid attention to Kim Ji-soo. He reported that last year he was even selected to the All-Star team. Kim Ji-soo played for the ‘Team K-League’ in the All-Star Game last summer. Former Jeonbuk Hyundai manager Kim Sang-sik, who led the team at the time, praised Kim Ji-soo, saying, “Kim Min-jae (Napoli) comes to mind.”
It is interpreted that Brentford’s decision to recruit Kim Ji-soo highly judged not only Kim Ji-soo’s current performance, but also his future potential. It is very rare to offer to recruit a player who has just passed through the semi-professional and has just signed a professional rookie contract.
There are variables. It’s a work permit (work visa) problem. Kim Ji-soo has no experience with the A national team. Brentford has been known to move quickly on their own. It is said that Paulo Bento, former coach of the A national team, also gave high evaluations.
Brentford is ranked 9th with 13 wins, 14 draws and 9 losses (53 points) in 36 EPL matches in the 2022-2023 season. If Kim Ji-soo joins Brentford, he will be the 17th Korean to step on the EPL stage. It is the first time for a teenage player to go straight to the stage of the K-League 2 (Part 2).