South Korea international striker Cho Kyu-sung has been linked to an Italian Serie A club. The transfer rumor comes just two months after his arrival in Denmark.
Italy’s Calcio Line reported on July 15 (KST), “What if there is a South Korean player in the future of Griffin (Genoa’s nickname)? In football, anything is possible. This is the story of Cho Kyu-sung, who made headlines when he scored a goal against Saudi Arabia, led by Roberto Mancini.”
“Jo Kyu-sung, who joined Metwillan from Jeonbuk Hyundai, can play as a center striker as well as a left or right winger. He will be interested in playing in a major competition and Genoa could provide him with the opportunity. Cho has a long-term contract that expires in June 2028. However, his current value is probably not more than €5 million. It could be a possible deal,” he said, explaining the possibility of Genoa making a surprise signing.
Cho Kyu-sung is South Korea’s star of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He won the heart of coach Paulo Bento when he replaced the struggling Hwang Eui-jo. He scored a multi-goal performance against Ghana in the second game of Group H. At the time, South Korea was down 0-2, but he teamed up with Lee Kang-in and Kim Jin-soo to rattle the net.
The Hana OneQ K League 1 2022 Golden Boot (top scorer) had been receiving offers since the winter. However, after coordinating with Jeonbuk, he decided to stay with the team and look for a summer move. After an A-match trial against El Salvador in June, Cho Kyu-sung was asked about going to Europe and said, “Of course, I want it badly. I have to talk to the club. There are transfer fees and other details. I still want to go, and I think it’s right to choose and prepare a team that fits well with the team and can play well,” he said, expressing his desire to go abroad.
Eventually, a deal was finalized during the summer transfer window. His new club of choice was Danish powerhouse Mittwalland. Announcing the signing, Mittwalland director Sven Graversen said, “We’ve been chasing Cho for over a year. He is a starter for the Korean national team and the top scorer in the K League, so there was a lot of competition for him.”
“He is the perfect striker. He has great physicality, good positioning and utilizes the space created by playing with his back to goal. He is technically strong and a skilled finisher with both head and foot skills. He wants to prove himself in Europe and we share the ambition. Our first task is to integrate him into the team.”
Cho has been a favorite of head coach Thomas Thomasberg. He scored his debut goal against Hvidovre in Round 1, followed by goals against Silkeborg in Round 2 and against Ljungby in Round 3, making it three goals in three games. He was named to the Danish team of the week in the first round.
He also made his European club debut. He played 120 minutes of extra-time against Niederkorn in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) second qualifying round and against Legia Warsaw in the playoffs. He also scored his European debut from the penalty spot against OMONIA in the third qualifying round. In all competitions, Cho has five goals and one assist in 12 games.
It was heartbreaking. Korean fans who traveled to Denmark to support their team were racially abused. Last month, Mittwillan tweeted, “Two Korean fans were racially abused by two Danish fans around the MCH Arena before the UECL match against Omonia. The club was made aware of the incident and immediately decided to contact the Korean fans and take action.”
“Mittwillan has been in dialog with the Korean fans. They said that the Danish fans apologized personally and that the issue was resolved because they realized that the hurt was unacceptable. The club continued to gather additional material and had several meetings. It was concluded that the issue could not simply be seen as a matter between two parties and needed to be clarified. The club has decided to isolate (restrict access to) the two Danish fans for one year,” the statement read.
“We regret the incident and distance ourselves from racist behavior. This behavior does not reflect the way Mittwillan treats people. Football should bring people together. The vast majority of visitors to our home stadium show Danish hospitality. Unfortunately, there are some foolish spectators who break these norms. We will work hard to ensure that all spectators can enjoy football at our stadium in the future.”
Korean fans who traveled to Denmark to support Cho Kyu-sung and Mitwillan against Omonia were subjected to racial abuse. In a video posted by Danish soccer social media channel Danish Scout, two Danish fans ripped out the Korean fan’s eyes from behind as he was filming the video. It’s a classic racist gesture directed at Asians with smaller eyes.
Upon learning of the incident, Mittwillan immediately reached out to the Korean fan to apologize. Further evidence was gathered and a meeting was held with the club to review the disciplinary options, which resulted in the Danish fans being banned from the stadium for one year.
Cho Kyu-sung continued to run despite nagging injuries. It also gave Jürgen Klinsmann his first win as South Korea’s head coach. South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 on Sept. 13 at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England. On that occasion, Cho Kyu-sung scored in the 32nd minute, sliding a header past Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, and Hwang In-beom after the opposing defense failed to clear the ball. It was a scene that stood out for its concentration. 소닉카지노
After his successful return to Mitwillan, transfer speculation erupted over Cho Kyu-sung, who was linked with Italian Serie A side Genoa. With Mancini at the helm in Saudi Arabia, it is expected that the Italian club will be watching the player with interest.
Genoa, the club associated with Cho Kyu-sung, is 130 years old. They were champions in the early to mid-1900s, but have been bouncing between the first and second divisions in recent years. The club is also known for being coached by striker Alberto Gillardino, who starred for Parma, AC Milan, and Fiorentina, as well as the Italian national team. He was named acting head coach last year, then took over full-time and led the club to promotion. This season, they’re in the thick of the race to stay up.