Lee Jung-hyo “Jung Ho-yeon, if he goes to Celtic now, it’s too early to say if he’ll come back”

“Take one varsity and go” advice

Professional soccer K League 1 Gwangju FC midfielder Chung Ho-yeon (23) is rumored to be transferring to Celtic in Scotland, but the club’s head coach says it’s premature.

“It’s still too early for him to go to Celtic,” Gwangju head coach Lee Jung-hyo told reporters at the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 Final Round media day event held at a hotel in Yongsan-gu on April 18.

“If he wants to go, I can’t help it, but if he goes, he’ll come back (to Korea),” Lee said, noting that he hasn’t heard anything from the club about the transfer.

Local media in Scotland are speculating that Celtic are interested in Jung and will try to sign him in the winter transfer window next January. If Jung Ho-yeon goes to Celtic, he will join Oh Hyun-gyu, Yang Hyun-joon, and Kwon Hyuk-kyu as a quartet of Koreans.

Celtic have a history of bringing in multiple East Asian players, often bringing in five or six Japanese players at a time. For Jung Ho-yeon, Celtic could be a stepping stone to the big leagues in Europe.

With two goals and four assists in 29 appearances for Guangzhou this year, Jung is a versatile midfielder who can pass as well as score. He also competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he helped his country win a gold medal and will benefit from military service.

With Gwangju aiming to qualify for next year’s Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), they would hate to lose their star player. Lee advised Jung to go abroad after being selected for the national team, saying, “You have to take one shot at the national team and go.” 19가이드03