League Comments (4) Share Tweet Buzz Digg More Why Ji Dong-Won should have signed for PSV Eindhoven, not Sunderland The Black Cats won the race for the young Korea international striker this week, landing him on a three-year deal for a reported £2m fee, but has he made a bad career move? Teams PSV Eindhoven Sunderland Players Dong-Won Ji Find the best odds and bet on the Premier League. COMMENT By Ben Somerford He will become the eighth Korean to play in the Premier League and probably the youngest ever - depending on when he makes his debut - but Ji Dong-Won has made the wrong career choice in heading to England's North East to join Sunderland. It was announced on Wednesday that the Black Cats had won the race for Ji's signature, beating off PSV Eindhoven's approach, along with reported interest from Newcastle United and Schalke. It is a big move for the 20-year-old international, who has been performing in the K-League with mid-table outfit Chunnam Dragons. Now he will be thrust into the Premier League, one of the best competitions in the world. It will be quite the step up, but Ji will be encouraged by the efforts of Lee Chung-Yong, who moved from K-League club FC Seoul to Bolton in 2009 as a 21-year-old, before becoming the club's Player of the Year in his debut season. In many ways, Lee's success has facilitated Ji's move to Sunderland, restoring the faith of Premier League clubs in K-League players after the underwhelming stints of Lee Dong-Gook, Kim Do-Heon and Cho Won-Hee who all moved to England straight out of the Korean top-flight. PARK JI-SUNG'S PL PATHWAY Years 2000-02 2002-05 2005- Club Kyoto PSV Man Utd Apps 85 92 177 Goals 12 17 24 Prior to Bolton's Lee, Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung and Tottenham's Lee Young-Pyo both arrived in the Premier League after a number of seasons, ironically, in the Netherlands at PSV Eindhoven. Of course, PSV have a strong Korean connection due to Guus Hiddink's influence, but the point to be made here is that the club were seen as a stepping stone. Rather than jumping in at the deep end of the Premier League, playing for PSV in the Eredivisie was a way to test the water. Both did well and earned their move to the Premier League where they became regulars at their respective clubs, with Park obviously having the more success. The argument is Ji should follow in their footsteps at PSV and take his career one step at a time. Nevertheless, you can't begrudge him for having the ambition to leap into a Premier League club, particularly when there's a healthy offer on the table. He has completed a dream move, plus he has joined on a three-year contract, reportedly on a decent salary and with a transfer fee which appears to have satisfied Chunnam. Ji publicly stated that he felt Sunderland really wanted him, too. They are all good reasons to accept the deal. However, the most important question is: what is best for Ji's career in the long-term? LEE YOUNG-PYO'S PL PATHWAY Years 2000-02 2003-05 2005-08 Club Anyang PSV Spurs Apps 97 109 93 Goals 3 1 0 Of course, it's good for the 20-year-old to show some ambition and take on the challenge of trying to make it in the Premier League, but that won't be easy for a player who has been good, but not great, in Korea this season, scoring three goals in 15 appearances. Suddenly he'll come up against some of the best defenders in the world, which will be a significant increase in class. You could argue that if Lee can do it at Bolton, so can Ji at Sunderland, but they play completely different positions. While Lee can roam around on the wing and drift into attack, Ji will directly be marked by imposing, physical stoppers and it will be hard for him to put his stamp on the game. Lee Dong-Gook could never find his feet as a striker at Middlesbrough and actually left the club without ever scoring a goal. These comments on Ji's move aren't pessimistic, rather realistic. It's going to be a major challenge for him to make an impact at the Black Cats and the club may not have the patience to persist with a youngster adjusting to the standard, particularly in a crucial position such as striker. On the other hand, when you consider the opportunities and patience he may have been afforded by PSV - who have a wealth of players in their early twenties â then the Eredivisie side must have been a tempting option. JI, WRONG MOVE? "I know there will be stiff competition for playing time but my goal is to become the player that the team wants me to be in six months." - Ji Dong-Won With all due respect, the standard of the Dutch top-flight would be easier for Ji to adjust to, again potentially as a stepping stone onto the Premier League. Sunderland won't be expecting immediate results but by the same token that means he may struggle for opportunities. The Black Cats have plenty of cash to spend on replenishing their squad following the sales of Darren Bent and Jordan Henderson and any big-name arrivals will make it even more difficult for Ji to get a game. He told reporters on Wednesday: âI know there will be stiff competition for playing time but my goal is to become the player that the team wants me to be in six months.â Six months? That will be quite the challenge, particularly when he willl be scrutinised by the fans and opportunities will be hard to come by. Given their investment (reportedly £2m), Sunderland will do everything they can to ensure he develops in the right way, but moving to PSV would have been a better pathway for building his career. There, he would get the opportunities and patience he needs at this crucial stage of his career. Perhaps, ultimately, the lure of playing in the Premier League proved too strong. The reality is his new Sunderland contract might be a dream deal for now, but his most important contract will come in three years time. Taking the direct route from the K-League to the Premier League will make it harder for Ji to get the offer he wants when that time comes around. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...-won-should-have-signed-for-psv-eindhoven-not
"Suddenly he'll come up against some of the best defenders in the world, which will be a significant increase in class." Yes at maybe Man U & Chelsea but outside the top 4 even maybe the top 2 there is some god awful donkeys for Central defenders so I wouldnt hold this as an arguement.
I'd suggest if he struggles initially, we can send him somewhere like Holland on loan. From the you tube footage, there appears a lad with a lot of confidence and composure, a great turn of pace, and a decent finisher. None of us can predict how this one will go, but every player starts out as an unknown.
I read this yesterday too and thought it was utter ****e written by a moron - we have signed a player for not much (apparently 800k up front rising to 2m if he succeeds) and, regardless of competition for places here, he has given himself 6 months as a target. Nothing at all wrong with that. I wonder what the article writer would have said if he had signed for our local rivals as he has, in the past, written similar things about Sunderland and appears intent on writing stuff to wind us up (according to a few of the comments I've read about him) so I'll just basically say **** Off and write something useful you twat
He is obviously some kind of Neanderthal type creature, maybe his dad should have wiped his cock on the sofa rather than up his mothers fanny.
Kevin Phillips had no top-flight form when he came and he did all right, if memory serves. Something about a golden boot award.....?
I believe he has his last match in South Korea on Sunday and then flies out here next week for his medical and to sign his contract.
I think that there's a danger of shooting the messenger here lads. This bloke has a point. Koreans haven't exactly set the PL alight in significant numbers. He's a young lad who is going to find the culture different, even bizarre at times. Looking composed and assured in front of goal is great, but he's been playing against no marks. Regardless of what you might think of PL defenders, the reality is that he is going to be facing stronger bigger lads with a lot more nous than the opponents in his homeland. It's a huge step up for him and I hope that he's a huge success. Comparing him with Phillips is ridiculous as Phillips was scoring goals in the same division we were in at the time. That's no comparison at all. It's great that the club are taking a chance on a young prospect like this lad, and I won't criticise that decision, unless of course he is going to be thrown in at the deep end and we find ourselves relying on this lad for goals right from the get go in August. I sincerely hope that is not the case and that he's going to get a chance to settle and adjust and get to the top of his game. Basically we need a proven striker.
Well folks, when I submitted the article, I didnt write anything, no oppinion or nowt, was stone cold sober, now Im not, and still cant find anything to write about the article, nothing possative or negative. this one flys by. and you lot realy dont know what he was on about either. Cant wait for more articles by this bloke.
LET'S GET THE KID OVER AND SEE WHAT HE CAN DO, NO PRESSURE, LET HIM FIND HIS FEET AND IF HE'S GOOD ENOUGH HE'LL COME THROUGH. REMEMBER WHEN ALAN DURBAN BOUGHT ALLY McCOIST AND SAID HE'D BOUGHT HIM FOR PLAYER HE'D BECOME, WAS IN AN AVERAGE TEAM AT THE TIME AND WE SORT OF RUSHED HIM MORE THAN NEEDED, WENT ON WE ALL KNOW TO KNOCK THEM IN FOR THE BLUE HALF OF GLASGOW FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE
