K League: Wind of Trades Blows

Ahead of the new season, K-League is being rocked by a series of player trades and new contracts with international stars.

On January 28, Kim Eun-jung, 24-years-old and Kim Dae-eui, 30-years-old, found their new homes in Anyang LG and Suwon Samsung respectively with a one billion won annual contract each, the league’s largest for homegrown players. Kim, who briefly played for Sendai, a Japanese soccer team during an exchange program with his old team, Daejeon Citizen, cut a five-year contract with the Anyang Cheetahs.

The Cheetahs, which has suffered from a lack of goal-scorers, can now form a two-top offense line with Kim and Renaldo, the second top-scorer in the Brasileiro from the Brazilian soccer league last year whom the team has just recruited. Kim is one of K-League’s best strikers, with 43 goals and 13 assistances in 167 games over seven seasons.

Suwon LG, now under the new directorship of Cha Bum Keun, has signed a three-year contract with Kim Dae-eui, the MVP of 2002 who propelled Seongnam Ilhwa to the championship for three consecutive years. Kim, who was Cha’s surprising selection for the 1998 World Cup team, will spearhead the high-tempo soccer Cha is planning.

Top-class international mercenaries are the eye of the storm that will boost the game quality of the K-League and that will upset the current balance of power in the league.

Alpay Ozalan, 31 years old, the DF of Turkey’s 2002 World Cup team, joined Incheon FC on January 28. Ozalan, who pushed his team to the third place in the World Cup, was one of the Best 11 selected by the technical study group of the FIFA.

Marcel Desailly, recruited to Suwon, is a top-class striker who played for Brazil’s Olympics team. He scored three goals in the South American playoffs for the 2004 Olympics.

The Chunnam Dragons has contracted with Mota, a Brazilian who played for Real Mallorca in Spain’s Primera Liga. Busan Icons has recruited Chris Marsden, a 36-year-old midfielder from Southampton, the U.K.

Sang-Ho Kim hyangsan@donga.com