One of South Korea’s top soccer prospects, Kim Ji-Soo, will become the 16th South Korean to play in the English Premier League.
Brentford are finalizing the signing of Kim Ji-Soo from Seongnam FC, according to the Daily Mail.
According to the report, Kim is expected to sign a four-year contract in England this week, with a transfer fee of £500,000.
Earlier, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin, the owner of the K League 2 club, posted a photo with Kim Ji-soo on Facebook on April 14 and wrote, “Kim Ji-soo will leave the country next week to join Brentford,” effectively announcing the move.
Kim has also resolved the work permit issue that has been cited as a barrier to the EPL.
The English Football Association (FA) announced the implementation of new work permit rules on Nov. 14 to open the door for overseas players to enter England.
Under the new rules, starting next season, EPL and English Championship clubs will be able to retain up to four players who are not eligible for work permits.
Kim Ji-soo, born in 2004, broke into the professional ranks last year after coming through the Seongnam youth ranks. At the age of 17, he signed a semi-professional contract with Seongnam in February last year, becoming the youngest player in the K League for the 2022 season.
After making his debut as a substitute against the Pohang Steelers in Round 11, Kim began to make a name for himself when he started against Suwon Samsung in Round 12. As he progressed through the ranks, he earned more and more playing time, and in July of last year, he was named to the Team K League All-Star squad to play against Tottenham.
Former coach Kim Nam-il, who made the bold move of starting Kim Ji-soo, praised her, saying, “Kim Ji-soo can’t be beaten in height.”
“Kim is highly regarded across Europe, having been scouted by Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon,” said the Daily Mail, “and has even been compared to Napoli’s Kim Min-jae.”토토사이트
If Kim pulls on a Brentford jersey, he will become the 16th South Korean player to ever play in the Premier League. He would be the seventh player to go straight from the K League to the EPL, and the first to do so from the K League 2.
Furthermore, he is only the second Korean player to join the EPL as a teenager, behind Minnesota United’s Jung Sang-bin. However, after joining Wolverhampton from Suwon Samsung, he was immediately loaned to Grasshopper (Switzerland) before joining Minnesota.