South Korean striker Cho Kyu-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai) is pushing for a move to Europe in the summer transfer window, and there is a lot of speculation among soccer fans about his destination. Initially, the top leagues such as England and Germany were strongly considered, but recently, the possibility of going to Denmark in the lower leagues has suddenly emerged.
Cho Kyu-sung had already been approached by several European clubs last winter after the World Cup. However, Jeonbuk recommended a summer transfer rather than a winter transfer because it would be difficult to adapt to a new team during the European soccer season, and Cho accepted and stayed.
Cho Kyu-sung on the fast track to Europe
Cho Kyu-sung and Jeonbuk are accelerating their European push as they enter the summer as agreed. On July 5, British media outlets The Telegraph and Football Insider reported that “South Korean striker Cho Kyu-sung has been offered a deal by Danish club FC Midtjylland” and “Midtjylland has set a price of £2.5 million (approximately KRW 4.14 billion) for Cho Kyu-sung”.
Several Korean and international media outlets have confirmed that Jeonbuk has made an official offer for Cho Kyu-sung, and it is now being reported that negotiations with the club are reaching a fever pitch.
FC Midtjylland is a powerhouse in the Danish league. Founded in 1999, the club is relatively young, but has already won three domestic league titles and two cups in its short history. World-class players such as Rafael van der Vaart (Netherlands) and Simone Kjaer (Denmark) have passed through Mittwylan.
However, soccer fans have had mixed reactions. It is a bit strange that Cho Kyu-sung, who has been interested in several famous clubs such as Celtic in Scotland, Mainz in Germany, and Watford, Blackburn, and Leicester City in England, is suddenly turning to Denmark, a small and medium-sized league in Europe.
As of 2023, the Danish Superliga is only ranked 17th in the UEFA League. That’s far below the top five leagues in Europe (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France), not to mention the Scottish League (9th), where Celtic actively pursued Cho Kyu-sung last winter. It’s unclear whether this is the right stage for Cho, who has already played at a high level at K League 1’s prestigious Jeonbuk and at the national team level leading up to the World Cup 메이저사이트.
The biggest advantage of going to Mitwylan is that the team is considered a powerhouse in its domestic league and has a good chance of qualifying for the European Club Championships. However, they finished seventh last season and will have to compete in the second qualifying round of the Conference League in 2023-2024, which is a lower tier competition than the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and Europa League (UEL).
Just because Denmark is a smaller league doesn’t mean it’s more organized or that it will be easier to adapt. It’s not as high-profile as playing in the K League or one of Europe’s top leagues, so it’s not as easy to keep tabs on a player’s performance, and they’ll have to deal with the same fitness and conditioning burdens as other European players who travel long distances.
“It’s easy to say, ‘If I do well in Denmark, I’ll get recognized and move up to the big leagues.’ But the gap between leagues in Europe is bigger than you might think. The doubts are even greater when you consider that the move to Denmark is not a ‘destination’ for Cho Kyu-sung, but a ‘bridgehead’ to a higher level.
Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo (Netherlands to England), Ki Sung-yueng (Scotland to England), Kim Min-jae (Turkey to Italy), and Park Joo-ho (Switzerland to Germany), all of whom are considered exemplary examples of players who made it to the big leagues from the European minor leagues, were at a much higher level in their respective leagues than they are now in Denmark and had the opportunity to showcase their skills at the highest level, such as the European Champions League.
On the other hand, once in the lower