Bae Joon-ho could make it to Europe…Olympic team calls up Hwang Jae-hwan to replace him
Hwang Jae-hwan (Ulsan) will replace Bae Joon-ho (Daejeon) in the Olympic soccer team’s training camp in Changwon, South Korea.
“Due to Bae Joon-ho’s possible departure overseas during the Olympic team’s call-up period in connection with transfer negotiations, Hwang Jae-hwan will be selected as a replacement,” the Korea Football Association announced on Friday.
Midfielder Bae Jun-ho, 20, who led South Korea to the top four at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, is in talks with English second-tier side Stoke City.
Bae, who turned 20 on July 21, joined Daejeon from the K League 2 last year and scored one goal in 10 games, and has been given more opportunities this season after Daejeon’s promotion to the top flight, scoring two goals in 16 games.
In particular, at the U-20 World Cup in Argentina in May and June, Kim played the role of ace with his brilliant individual skills, helping South Korea reach the quarterfinals for the second time in a row.
Last month, he played in a friendly match against Spanish soccer giants Atletico Madrid as a member of Team K League and was recognized as a “standout player” by coach Diego Simeone.
Bae Jun-ho, who was also selected by Hwang Sun-hong to lead the U-22 Olympic team, was scheduled to take part in a call-up training camp in Changwon from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3.
However, with the possibility of Bae Jun-ho traveling to England to negotiate with Stoke City, the decision was made to call up Hwang Jae-hwan instead.
Hwang, a former Ulsan youth player, was sent on loan to FC Koln in Germany shortly after signing his professional contract and gained experience with the club’s U-19 and second teams from January 2020 to June last year.
In May, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 11th round after scoring a multi-goal performance against Daegu, his first goal in 10 K League 1 matches.
Hwang’s U-22 squad will be in Changwon for the first Asian qualifier for next year’s Paris Olympics and the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup.
South Korea will play Qatar on June 6, 먹튀검증 Kyrgyzstan on June 9 and Myanmar on June 12 at the Changwon Football Center.