Seol Young-woo (26), the flagship fullback of the Korean soccer team, will advance to Europe. He will transfer to Tsurvena Zvezda of Serbia, where Hwang In-beom (28) is playing.
“The negotiations for Seol’s transfer have been concluded. Seol had strong motivation to advance to Europe, and Zvezda had strong commitment to recruit him. Ulsan also made the transfer after prospective consideration,” a soccer source said on Monday.
The transfer fee is reportedly 1.5 million euros plus α. The option is a contract format in which Ulsan receives bonuses based on Zvezda’s performance.
Seol is a European player. Having represented various age groups, he made his name known at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Coach Hong Myung-bo showed his affection for Ulsan HD. Early on, he acknowledged the possibility that Seol would join the A team as only a matter of time.
Seol was selected as a member of the A-team for the first time in his career in March last year. He made his debut on June 20 at the match against El Salvador (one-on-one draw). He has also been a key player since the European away match was convened in September.
It was the beginning. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he was selected as a wild card and won a gold medal, receiving a special exemption from military service. He was originally scheduled to join the military at the end of last year. He added a new wing to his soccer career and accelerated his advance to Europe.
The Qatar Asian Cup was another turning point. It has established itself as the flagship fullback of Korean soccer. He started all matches including being selected as the best 11 in the quarterfinals. His position is both right and left fullback.
Zvezda, based in Belgrade, the capital city, is Serbia’s most prestigious team. It has won the Super Liga title for 10 times. Notably, it has achieved seven consecutive wins from the 2017-2018 season to the 2023-2024 season. 메이저사이트
It is all the more familiar because it is the team where Hwang plays. He moved to Zvezda last year and was named MVP of the 2023-2024 season. Rumors of Seol moving to Zvezda have been raised since early this year.
“The team asked me first about Seol Young-woo. Of course, he is such a good player,” Hwang said after the final match of the second Asian qualifying round for the North-China U.S. World Cup against China on Wednesday.
When asked if he recommended Seol Young-woo directly to the club, he said, “It’s a little hard to say that I recommended him,” and laughed, “I don’t think there’s a rumor about a transfer because I recommended him. Since Seol Young-woo is a very capable player, not only our team but also many teams seem to be interested.”
Seol, who has been suffering from a chronic dislocation of his right shoulder, underwent surgery last month. A dislocated shoulder surgery takes about two to three months to recover. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Without returning to Ulsan, Seol will be playing in Europe for a second time. Originally from Ulsan Youth, he made his K-League debut in 2020. He played in 120 K-League matches, recording five goals and 11 assists. He was listed as the best 11 defender of the K-League 1 last season.
Ulsan is moving to all directions to recruit alternative resources for Seol Young-woo through the summer transfer market.
