One of the stories that has been doing the rounds today is the interview with Celtic’s January transfer window target, Cho Gue-sung. The Korean World Cup star raised the profile when he scored a brace against Ghana in a group match in Qatar back before Christmas time. That saw interest in the Jeonbuk Hyundai striker soar, with reports Ange Postecoglou was keen on him.
However, nothing came to fruition with that particular deal and the Hoops went on to sign Cho’s fellow countryman, Hyeongyu Oh, who is already up and running in a Celtic jersey. Cho had mentioned at the time that he didn’t feel Celtic were all in with their pursuit of the frontman and that’s one of the reasons he decided to stay put.
As we now know, it’s because the Bhoys had been tracking Hyeongyu Oh for quite some time, with Ange admitting he was very eager to get the big man into the club, whilst acknowledging the part of the player in his £2.5 million move from the K-League with Suwon Bluewings, all the way to Parkhead.
Despite the deal for Cho not coming to anything in the end, the player has stated that another key reason he decided not to move directly after the taxing World Cup schedule was on the advice of his coaches. They all warned his body may not have been ready to take on the rigours of European football straight after international duty with his native homeland.
The current reports in the mainstream media seem to be inferring from his recent interview with Chosun in South Korea that the forward has dismissed any prospective move to the Celts. He’s maintained, as most of them do, that the English Premier League is he dream and ultimate end goal. But if you read between the lines, he doesn’t see that as the move straight away and also states that money is not what drives him. It’s probably one of the main reasons Ange Postecoglou was also interested in him. His detail for background checks and character references is quite assiduous and has barely let him down to date.
Listen to this latest interview and what Cho Gue-sung has been saying: “I thought I would transfer when the offer came because I did well at the World Cup in Qatar. I had doubts while I was taking a break from exercising. I was thinking about when my body would come back if I went to Europe now. In particular, I heard a lot of advice from seniors and coaches around me.
“I gained a lot more than I thought in the last World Cup. My goal was to become a professional player, play games, and then become a member of the national team. Participating in the World Cup was also a dream. In the end, my dream came true, now I am ready for the next step. Everyone has a dream. Everyone has a different dream, however, it is not the dream to make a lot of money as a soccer player, the most important thing right now is to prepare well for the next step.”
He added: “My final goal is the Premier League. Of course, to advance to the Premier League, which is the final goal, I have to go through stages.”
Notice he says that the English Premier League is the ‘final step’? Potentially then, this means that there is room for a deal to be resurrected and revisited come the summer time. With a fellow Korean already here in the form of Hyeongyu Oh, and a contigent of Asian players in situ also, there could be a significant plan to pitch to Cho in regards his development for the next few years and a place he can win trophies and call home in the meantime, before that big Premier League move.
Celtic Park could be the place that he prepares during his next step, but of course only if Ange Postecoglou retains his own enthusiasm for the deal to go through on a better late than never basis. Time will tell…
Paul Gillespie
We already have our man.
We don’t need him.