The opening D-1 K-League, New Foreign Players ‘Focused’

The opening of the 2024 K-League is just one day away. Ahead of the opening on March 1, the Korea Professional Football Association introduced notable foreign players who will join the K-League this season, ranging from European big leagues to Brazilians and Asian quarter players of various nationalities.

Lingard Seoul, Odu Chungbuk Cheongju… from the European Big League

In this winter’s transfer market, Seoul Lingard was called the best big name recruitment in K-League history and boasted tremendous buzz as soon as he joined the club.

Lingard, a former member of the English national team, played for 13 years only in the English Premier League, including Manchester United, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, after his professional debut through Manchester United Youth, a world-renowned soccer player. Lingard is a multi-player resource that can play both offensive midfielders and wing forwards, and is expected to revitalize Seoul’s attack based on his high level of skills and rich experience this season.

Odu, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, is a former Tottenham Hotspur Youth player and played for Tottenham U18 and Tottenham U21 teams after signing a professional contract with Tottenham. Odu, who has multiple nationalities in England and Nigeria, also has played as an age-specific national team in both England and Nigeria. On the professional stage, he has gained abundant experience through various overseas leagues, including England, Denmark, Israel, Ireland, and Azerbaijan. Odu is a winger with a solid physique of 191 centimeters, speed and personal ability, and is expected to strengthen Chungcheongbuk-do Province’s fast attack this season.

Kelvin Ulsan, Vinicius Jeonbuk, Thales, Italo Jeju … standout Brazilians

A large number of Brazilian players, who are revitalizing the K-League every season, joined again this time.

First of all, Ulsan Kelvin is a standby player who made his professional debut in the EC Sangjoje of Serie D, the fourth division of Brazil, and then gradually entered Serie A in the first division of Brazil and played as a main player in Atleciku Goiani. Kelvin can play all the positions of second-line offensive midfielders, including left and right wing forwards, and has a wide range of attack skills, including dribbling, breaking, shooting, and passing using his unique individual skills.

Vinicius, another Brazilian, played as a starting member of Atletico Uila, Colombia’s first division until last season. Vinicius is a playmaker-type striker with a wide field of vision, characterized by his ability to coordinate the conversion of offense and defense and breakthrough with his signature foot skills. Vinicius is expected to play with the Samba trio with proven Brazilian strikers such as Hernandez and Thiago from Jeonbuk.

Jeju has hired Brazilian duo Thales and Italiano. Thales will play as a flanker and Italiano as a defensive midfielder. The two players will be able to adapt quickly with the help of Brazilian teammates Hayes and Yuri, who are already playing key roles in Jeju.

South Gyeongsang Province has recruited Elio, a promising player from Brazil who was born in 2000. Despite his young age, Elio has abundant experience through various teams in Serie A and B, and is expected to revitalize the team based on his fast penetration into space and technical dribbling skills.

Arhan Suwon FC, Popovich Gwangju, Aspro Pohang, Alikulov Busan… Asia Quarter with various nationalities

Asian quarter players from various nationalities have also joined this season.

As soon as he joined Suwon FC, Indonesian superstar Arhan received high expectations. Arhan, who is currently an active national team player, is a flanker with long throw-in, daredevil dribbling and passing skills and is loved by many fans in his country. As evidenced by Arhan’s high popularity, Arhan’s social media accounts have more than three times as many followers as his team’s official SNS.

Australian center backs who joined the K-League are also notable. Gwangju recruited Popovich, who played an active role in Adelaide United in Australia, and Pohang recruited Aspro, the main defender of MacArthur FC.

Popovich is a former member of the Australian youth team who boasts fast speed, agility, and space cover. Asprow has already displayed compliance in both the first and second rounds of the AFC Champions League round of 16, raising expectations for this season.

In addition, Busan has recruited Alikulov, a defender from Uzbekistan. Based on his fast speed, Alikulov is expected to greatly contribute to Busan’s defense team as he has excellent interpersonal pressure and defense capability in the back.

Kamiya Gangwon, Yoshino Daegu, Yukiya Gyeongnam, Miyuki Cheongju, Chungbuk … New-faced Japanese players

Japanese players who newly entered the K-League in the Asian quarter are also notable.

Gangwon has hired playmaker-type striker Kamiya. Kamiya has played for various J-League teams, including Shonan Belmare, Kashiwa Reysol, and Shimizu S Pulse, and is expected to be utilized in various offensive options for Kangwon based on his robust performance.

Daegu recruited defensive midfielder Yoshino to fill the void left by Keita due to expiration of his contract. Yoshino is a veteran who has played in the J-League for nearly 10 years, including the Tokyo Verdi, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Kyoto Sanga, Begata Sendai and Yokohama. With good reading skills and kick skills, Yoshino is a versatile resource that can be played by both defensive midfielders and center backs.

Gyeongnam strengthened its power by recruiting Yukiya, a midfielder with extensive experience in various overseas leagues such as Spain, Thailand, Sweden, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and Chungcheongbuk-do Cheongju recruited Miyuki, a veteran offensive midfielder who played in the J-League for 12 years. 토토사이트 추천

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