Transfer news from the bet365 Stadium as Alex Neil, Ricky Martin and Jared Dublin scour the world for Stoke City transfer targets
Jurgen Klinsmann, the Stoke City recruitment team and plenty of scouts across Europe have had their attention caught by South Korea rising star Bae Jun-ho.
Klinsmann, the South Korea senior team manager, has been spotted watching Bae Jun-ho’s progress this season for Daejeon Hana, as well as for the national under-20s side.
The 20-year-old playmaker had started to emerge as Daejeon won promotion to the K-League last year and his performances at the u20s Asian Cup in March propelled him up the pecking order. His wider reputation soared when he helped reach the u20s World Cup semi-finals in June.
Pundits are praising his cool head and skill under pressure as an attacking midfielder who can play in the middle or out wide. Now Stoke are said to be in negotiations to try to bring him to England and the Championship as Alex Neil, Ricky Martin and Jared Dublin puts the final touches to a transformative and increasingly exotic summer transfer window.
“He is the most prominent young player in the K-League this season,” reports Chosun, the Korean newspaper. “He is only 20 years old but has established himself as a proud key player for Daejeon, which is causing a sensation.
“He has been playing steadily since the u20s Asian Cup and it’s different from other under-22 players who play 15 or 20 minutes… Particularly noteworthy is his skill to relieve pressure.
“Bae Jun-ho is a promising player whom Daejeon cherishes, having put a lot of effort into recruiting him when he was number one in the high school rankings. He freely uses his left and right feet, he has passing, dribbling, sense, decisiveness and even stamina.
“While he was still at school he was sent love calls from Jeonbuk Hyundai, Ulsan Hyundai, Daegu FC, Jeju United and FC Seoul and clubs in France and Germany but it was Daejeon who were the most persistent. Daejeon chairman Huh Jeong-Moo is known for his excellent eye for players.
“He didn’t take his chance straight away at senior level. He showed flashing scenes from moment to moment but couldn’t keep up with the tempo over 90 minutes. But he consistently played for the reserves in K-League 4 and sharpened his sword.
“He became a main player in the second half of 2022 as Daejeon won promotion and is showing even better form in the higher division. He has dreams of turning from promising player to a star.”
Daejeon still have hopes of challenging for a place in the Asian Champions League this season. They are seventh, five points behind third-place and a qualification spot with six fixtures remaining but they are ready to loosen their grip on a key asset at the right price.
Coach Lee Min-seong said: “I like Bae Jun-ho’s ability to take the flow of the ball without killing it. He is also good at making killer passes that break down the opponent’s defence. If he can only chase the tempo of a pro, he will be able to show his sharp side throughout 90 minutes.”
Bae Jun-ho has won comparisons with Lee Chung-yong, the former Bolton and Crystal Palace stalwart now at runaway K-League leaders Ulsan, while the man himself picks out Kevin de Bruyne as his role model.
He said earlier this year: “To dare to be compared with Lee Chung-yong is something to be thankful about. I think it would be nice to aim to be like such a great player and grow.”
He added: “In terms of role models, from Korea, there is Hwang In-beom (the 26-year-old Olympiacos and South Korea midfielder). He is also from Daejeon. I also like De Bruyne as an overseas player.”
In Argentina this summer, he helped the under-20s beat France in the group stages then knock out Ecuador and Nigeria before being edged out by England’s conquerors Italy in the last four.
At a media open day he said: “My goal is to reach Europe. I want to play at a high level and if I get a good opportunity, I want to go out and get a lot of experience while I’m young.”
He caught the attention of Carmine Nunziata, head coach of Italy, too.
“The Korea number 10 was particularly good,” said Nunziata. “He was an outstanding player.”
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