FC Anyang forward Park Jae-yong (23), who was selected by South Korea’s Asian Games soccer coach Hwang Sun-hong, will follow in the footsteps of his immediate predecessor Cho Kyu-sung (25-Mitwillan).
“Park Jae-yong is heading to K League 1 big club Jeonbuk Hyundai before the summer transfer window closes,” multiple transfer market sources told Xportsnews on Aug. 18. The transfer is expected to be finalized after the Anyang-Chunsan match on the 18th. Park Jae-yong was left out of the starting lineup for Chunsan on the day, playing just under 40 minutes in the second half and 14 minutes of added time.
Jeonbuk, who pocketed 4 billion won for Cho Kyu-sung’s move to Meatwillan, is reportedly treating Park as the highest transfer fee ever for a Korean player in the second tier. The general consensus in the transfer market is that it would have been 30 to 40 percent higher than the 800 million won transfer fee for Cho Kyu-sung from Anyang to Jeonbuk in 2020.
Born in 2000, the 6-foot-2 frontline attacker uses his length to dominate possession and play in the post. He is a versatile attacker who likes to be active and compete for aerial balls, but also has the ability to dribble.
After attending Gwangmyeong Gwangdeokcho and Suwon Matanjung, he went to Anyang Industrial High School, which is part of FC Anyang’s youth team. He was drafted first and played for two years at Incheon National University before being called up to the Anyang senior team for the 2022 season.
In his debut season, Park served as a backup striker to Jonatan Moya. After scoring two goals in 19 K League 2 games, he stepped into the starting lineup this season after Jonatan’s untimely departure and is the team’s top scorer with six goals and one assist in 17 games.
Park’s performances for Anyang have earned him a spot on the final roster of South Korea’s men’s soccer team for the Asian Games, which was announced on Thursday by head coach Hwang Sun-hong.
Hwang said of Park, “He has a lot of link-up play and is very calm for his size.” He also praised his integrity and teamwork. He praised his integrity and teamwork. 스포츠토토
Most importantly, Park is following in the footsteps of his Anyang senior, Cho Kyu-sung.
Also a graduate of Anyang Public School, Cho was drafted first by Anyang to attend Gwangju University, where he showed off his talents after switching to a forward position, and was called up by Anyang ahead of the 2019 season, when he was set to enter his senior year.
After earning a spot on the K League 2 Team of the Year with 14 goals and four assists in 33 K League 2 games for Anyang, he was soon transferred to Jeonbuk for a hefty fee.
Like Cho, Park Jae-yong follows in the footsteps of strikers from Anyang to Jeonbuk.
Like Cho Kyu-sung, who struggled in his first season with Gimcheon Commerce before turning things around and becoming the top scorer in the K League 1 last season, how quickly Park adjusts to the K League 1 stage will have an impact on Jeonbuk’s chances of competing in the top half of the table.