The agent for Cho Glu-sung has given a very detailed Question and Answer style interview about January interest in the South Kprean striker.
Two goals against Ghana during the World Cup Finals put an additional spotlight on the 24-year old with Celtic, Mainz, Minnesota, Cologne and Borussia Monchengladbach showing serious interest.
Ange Postecoglou has previously mentioned Korea as a transfer market that could provide Celtic with similar value to Japan with six players following the Celtic boss from the J-League to the SPFL.
Various claims surfaced last week about the extent of interest from Celtic, Mainz and Minnesota but it now seems likely that Cho will start the K-League season with Jeonbuk Hyundai with transfer activity pushed back until the summer.
Celtic could well be back on the scene when the SPFL season ends but it seems that significant progress has been made towards signing Oh Hyeon-Gyu from Suwon Bluewings.
Speaking to v.daum, Yoon Ki-young, CEO of InfoKorea discussed in detail the situation with Cho:
– Since when did you prepare for the transfer?
?The work started while communicating with foreign partners from the beginning of last year. I thought there would be better opportunities for players after the World Cup. He also showed his intention early on to the Jeonbuk club. Jeonbuk conveyed their intention that if they performed well during the World Cup and came up with a decent offer, they could send it to them. He said Europe could be better for the cause. The club made full-fledged preparations by sending a message that it would be willing to help for the player’s future in Europe.
– What criteria did you set?
?There were five major ones. The first was ‘Europe’. Second, the player wanted ‘a club where I can play competitively’. The third was ‘the club the manager wants’, and the fourth was to exclude teams in the relegation zone. The last was the transfer fee. Jeonbuk said, ‘You have to send it at your own price to be treated well and help the players’, and we took it for granted as well. In the case of the transfer fee, it may not be easy to pay at once, so we coordinated by splitting it into two. We found a team that met all of these conditions. We checked each country and even contacted them directly, but there were not many teams that could meet all these requirements. Offers came from Hungary or Austria, but we had no intention of sending them. In this way, all teams that did not meet the conditions before being delivered to the players in the first place were excluded. If we blindly accept everything, it is rather difficult to work. As a result, the team was compressed.
–If you look at the foreign media, you have been connected to a lot of different countries.
?In the beginning, there was a lot of talk about Turkiyeh, but maybe it was because the country’s internal economic situation was not good, there were no actual offers. Besiktas had coach Senol Gunes, who was personally close to him, so he contacted him and he said he was looking for a defender, and Galatasaray or Fenerbahce did not receive an offer unlike my article in Turkiye. As it is known in Scotland, Celtic wanted it, and in Germany, Mainz, Cologne, and Monchengladbach showed interest. In the case of Cologne, they even held a video conference with us. Cologne also wanted to talk to the player, but I remember that we blocked it because it was not right before the official offer came. In the United States, Minnesota was connected, and in Italy, two clubs, including Spezia, contacted me. He said he would send an official offer, but the player didn’t show much interest, so he put it on hold. I received a call from Spain today. They said that the two clubs are preparing offers. One team said they wanted to bring them in the winter and the other in the summer, and since Jeonbuk was training in Spain, it was easy to approach, so we responded as well. In the case of Japan, there was a proposal for a long time, but it was abandoned here.
– There was also an EPL talk.
?There was interest, but there was no actual offer. The required work permit score is 15 points, but Cho Kyu-seong scored 13 points. 2 points were missing. In order to obtain a work permit, the opposing team had to take active measures.
-So, the last teams mentioned were Celtic, Minnesota, and Mainz.
?The teams that sent meaningful offers were Celtic, Minnesota, and Mainz. Celtic was contacted through a collaborating agent and worked for a long time. Our international staff continued to communicate with the club officials and the president. Celtic’s first proposal was not at a level that Jeonbuk was satisfied with, but they even sent a letter saying that if Jeonbuk sent a player, Jeonbuk would meet all the conditions they wanted. So, I sent my intention to include the cell-on clause. This part was not included in the official letter. If Jeonbuk said they would send a player, they decided to send a letter containing this information again. Celtic was the most active. The director even wanted a video call. Our staff translated and even talked directly to the players.
Minnesota was not the Europe we wanted, but it was very active. He wanted to make Cho Kyu-sung a franchise role model to revitalize American Major League Soccer (MLS). MLS has risen a lot in league status now. In many cases, they go straight to the big leagues. Now, MLS is thinking of growing the league with young players, not players who are imminently retired. In line with this, Cho Kyu-seong was spotted and the owner or coach actively courted him. After sending the official offer, after knowing that the player or club wanted Europe, they verbally bet that they would give them 5 million dollars and up to 30% cell-on. They even offered to raise it by 50%. (There was also talk of a green card) That is also a fact. As much as the U.S. wanted Cho Kyu-sung, he even said that if he didn’t like Minnesota, he would introduce a better club than that. It was a recruitment made at the business level of MLS. However, both players and Jeonbuk ranked first in Europe.
Mainz came last. The contact was made through Lee Jae-seong. It’s a little less than what Jeonbuk wanted, but they sent an offer of the corresponding amount. (He said he had a video call with the director) It’s not true. Celtic was the only one who made a direct call. (There was also a report that Mainz pulled out) This is also not true. The three teams above met the conditions that we and the club wanted.
-How was the collaboration with Jeonbuk?
?I had a direct call with director Ji-Sung Park, and we delivered all of our information to the club officials and received feedback. The club’s goal was Europe number one. I have had enough communication with the club. We also did our best to meet the needs of Jeonbuk.
– A plan to rent in Jeonbuk after transferring in the winter was also discussed.
? Celtic or Mainz did not make such an offer. He had been talking about signing a contract in time for the summer in Spain in advance. Transfer in the winter, play in Jeonbuk for 6 months, and return again in the summer? This is, in fact, impossible by law. It should be a one-year lease, not six months.
-I made good conditions, but the retention became strong.
?We do our best to find what the players and clubs want. I can recommend something good, but it’s up to the player to accept it. Cho Kyu-sung has heard advice from many places about whether it is better to go now or in the summer. I know that Director Park’s advice was also taken into account. If a player wants to go out now, we can do as we have prepared, and if he goes out in the summer, we just have to do as he does now and create many better opportunities. It is my role to do my best.
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