The U-20 World Cup is called a ‘showcase’ to Europe. This is because it is a stage where big club scouts gather in one place to evaluate the skills of promising players from each country. In Korea, which dreams of reviving the glory of Poland four years ago, defender Kim Ji-soo (19, Seongnam, photo) is attracting attention.
Kim Ji-soo, who made his debut as a high school K-League last year, is the most expected prospect to advance to Europe. Despite his tall height (192 cm), he is well-received for his speed and wide field of vision. Not only is he excellent at controlling the ball in the air, but he also excels in interpersonal defense and passing, and is even evaluated as ‘the second Kim Min-jae’.
This is the background that Kim Ji-soo, who is in his second year as a professional, received a transfer offer from Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga earlier this year, and also received an official offer from Brentford in the English Premier League (EPL) this month. An official from Seongnam FC said, “It is true that Kim Ji-soo received a transfer offer from Brentford.” It is known that Kim Ji-soo was guaranteed a buyout option of 700,000 dollars (about 900 million won) when he signed a contract with Seongnam.
However, football experts agree that there is no need for Kim Ji-soo to make a hasty decision to transfer.
If Kim Ji-soo plays well in the U-20 World Cup, clubs with a higher name value than Brentford can reach out.
The only thing Kim Ji-soo was verified at the European level was his participation in the All-Star Game during Tottenham’s visit to Korea last year, so it is still too early to evaluate. However, things will change if Kim Ji-soo shows his skills in the U-20 World Cup finals 먹튀검증.
Also, even if Kim Ji-soo decides to go to Brentford first, his performance in the U-20 World Cup is more important. Since it is difficult for Kim Ji-soo to obtain a work visa from the UK Labor Office right now, he is likely to be leased to another club in Europe.
In the case of soccer players, the British Labor Office strictly considers the level of their original team and league, their team participation experience, and their national team career. A typical example is Jeong Sang-bin (Minnesota), who shook the K-League before Kim Ji-soo, moved to Wolverhampton due to a work visa problem, but left on loan to Grasshopper, Switzerland.
An agent active in Europe explained, “Kim Ji-soo, who has no national team experience, is realistic to raise the level of the stage that can be rented through this World Cup performance.”
Kim Ji-soo himself has a strong will to raise the value of his name in the U-20 World Cup. His goal is to survive as much as possible in the tournament by surpassing competitors such as France, Gambia and Honduras in the group stage. Kim Ji-soo said, “I will enjoy the festival called the U-20 World Cup, a tournament that only comes once in my life, for as long as possible.”