Britain also showed interest in the “Korean flute” that Jesse Lingard (31) received at the airport.
British “The Sun” said on the 5th (Korea time), “Lingard, who went to Korea to complete his transfer to FC Seoul, received a unique long flute as a gift from a Korean fan.” The “long flute” mentioned by the media is a Danso, a traditional Korean wind instrument.
Lingard arrived in Korea via Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. Wearing a black hat and sweatsuit, Lingard appeared at the airport and smiled and waved his hands when he saw the crowd waiting for him. His appearance instantly sent the airport into a frenzy. His fans chanted “Jessi” and Lingard approached the fans for their autographs and photos. After a short fan service, Lingard immediately left the airport. Now, the final process of negotiations with Seoul to join the team begins.
In the video clip released on YouTube, Lingard exited the arrivals hall, got on board the prepared car, and briefly looked at the Danso to show interest. The fact that a fan gave him the Danso is related to Lingard’s goal ceremony. Lingard is famous for performing splendid goal ceremony by playing the flute when scoring goals.
Earlier in the day, Lingard posted a picture of him waiting to check in his luggage to Korean Air at the airport on his social networking service, giving him an idea of his trip to Seoul. The British Daily Mail also reported that his contract with Seoul will be finalized within the next few days. BBC reported that Lingard will join Kagoshima, Japan, which is currently in off-season training after a medical test in Seoul. It will likely be a significant deal.
Lingard will undergo a medical test today, sign a contract on the 7th, and hold a press conference on the 8th.
Recently, multiple European media reported that Lingard is close to going to Seoul. Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the European soccer transfer market, also said on his SNS on the 3rd, “Lingard has been offered a two-year contract with Seoul. Lingard will visit Korea and the club early next week to complete the transfer.” Romano is a highly public figure in relation to the soccer transfer market. Notifying him when the transfer is almost confirmed, he also added his signature slogan, “Here we go.”
Britain’s “The Sun” said on the 2nd, “Lingard, who is a free agent, has verbally agreed on a 2+1 year contract with Seoul,” adding, “It is expected that he will fly to Korea soon to complete contract negotiations.” “Lingard, who could not find a new team after last season, is on the verge of joining Seoul after ending rumors of a transfer between Turkiye and the Saudi Arabian league,” he explained.
Sky Sports of the U.K. also reported on Monday that Lingard’s “surprise” move to Korea is just around the corner. “The two sides have already verbally agreed on the contract,” he said. “Lingard will depart for Korea within a few days to complete the contract. I want a new start in a new country.” The media said the contract period is basically two years and one year extension.
Britain’s “The Athlete UK” also reported on the 2nd, “Former Manchester United winger Lingard is set to sign a contract with Korea’s FC Seoul. There is still a process left, but if it is completed well, he is expected to sign a long-term contract.”
Lingard’s move to the K-League is a surprise. His interview with the Dong-A Ilbo is drawing keen attention. According to the U.K.’s Sports Bible, Lingard, who was struggling to move to the K-League at the time, said, “I am considering every situation. I will not rule out any team and it is important to choose the right team for me. I just want to play soccer steadily. I am constantly desperate. That’s why I am training hard.”
“Saudi Arabia is one of the options. It is not surprising that many famous players are moving to Saudi Arabia. They have done a great job over the past few years. However, Saudi Arabia’s transfer will happen only when it suits its situation. I will follow my gut. I just want to go out on the field and play soccer. I am still thirsty for success,” he stressed again.
If Lingard’s transfer is successful, one of the most prestigious foreign players in the history of the K-League will play in Korea. The 31-year-old once played a key role in the English national team and the prestigious Manchester United Unite. Having grown up after joining Manchester United Youth at the age of seven, Lingard had a prime time with 34 goals in 232 matches for Manchester United, excluding three seasons on loan from 2014 to 2022. Whenever he scored a goal, he performed splendid dance moves and played the flute in a ceremony, drawing cheers from fans.
Lingard, who made his professional debut with Manchester United in 2014, was loaned to Derby County for one season to gain experience. He returned to Manchester United. Lingard, whose skills have begun to rise, has been reborn as a key player by playing in 40 official matches in the 2015-2016 season amid the favor of Luis Van Gaal. Since then, he has played for a long period of time, playing nearly 40 games every season for five years from 2019 to the 2020 season.
The season that shone the most was the 2017-2018 season led by Jose Mourinho. He scored 13 goals and six assists in 48 official matches, achieving career high. Mourinho, who preferred defenders as his wingers at the time, made full use of Lingard’s activities. At the time, his fans did not like him because he lacked technical skills compared to Juan Mata and Henrik Miki-Tarian, and was lagging behind in threatening moves such as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. However, he silenced the fans’ criticism to some extent by scoring 19 offensive points.
He has lost ground in Manchester United since the 2018-19 season. He showed good performance under Gunnar Solskjaer early in the season, but suffered aftereffects after suffering an injury. He played 36 official matches, scoring five goals and making four assists.
The 2019-20 season saw some of the worst periods of his career. He suffered from sluggishness throughout the season, as he scored his first goal in the league until the 38th round, the last game of this season. Fans strongly criticized him, saying he had fewer attack points than Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
In the 2020-2021 season, as his position declined, he left for West Ham in the second half of the season and used a “rental myth.” He played 16 games for West Ham and scored nine goals (4 assists). Lingard, who wanted to completely transfer to West Ham at the time, was persuaded by Gunnar Solskjaer and returned to Manchester United. However, Lingard, who was in his peak form, was forced to stay on the bench again. Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho joined in the 2021-2022 season and had no chance to play. In the end, he only scored two goals in 16 league games.
Lingard left for Nottingham Forest last season with a big deal. He had high expectations as he signed a 150,000-pound contract, more than four times that of Steve Cook, the previous highest paid player. However, he was only released after scoring two goals and two assists while losing competition to become a starting player at Nottingham. He had an option to extend his contract for one year, but his renewal failed due to his performance that did not match his high salary. Consequently, he has yet to find his team and has become invincible until this season.
He once played a key role in the English national team. Lingard, who played in 32 A-matches, played six matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, helping England advance to the semifinals.
Lingard’s biggest strength was his energetic performance. He also observed off-the-ball movement and played as a left winger, displaying good teamwork with fellow Manchester United strikers. He displayed good teamwork with fellow strikers through active participation in defense and simple linked play based on his ample activity. However, critics say that he was not good enough to play as a mainstay at Manchester United due to his lack of capacity and breakthrough and shooting. His biggest drawback was that he experienced ups and downs depending on his physical condition. Usually, he only watches other players on days when he is good or bad.
Unfortunately, he is only engaged in individual training sessions. He has recently uploaded videos of himself training on his personal social networking service, exerting all his commitment to return to the professional stage.
Lingard, who flew directly to Saudi Arabia’s Al Etihad Park last summer and trained for about a month, seemed close to moving to the Saudi league, but his transfer was canceled due to restrictions on foreign players and high weekly wages. Rumors of a move to Barcelona have spread. However, it was in danger as the team hastily recruited Lingard, whose heyday had expired. Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez also dismissed rumors of a move last summer, saying, “It would be nice if midfielder Pablo Garvey got injured and we can recruit a new player. We cannot afford to include other players’ names in the squad right now.”
Seoul, which was newly led by head coach Kim Ki-dong in December last year, is aiming to strengthen its capacity one by one before the season starts. It has fully recruited foreign player Willian and recently renewed its contract with Ki Sung-yueng.
Recently, “The Sun” even mentioned Ki Sung-yueng, saying that Lingard will join Ki Sung-yueng, who has played in the EPL for several years. “In Seoul, there is Ki Sung-yueng, a midfielder from EPL. Ki Sung-yueng played for Swansea City and Newcastle. He contributed to Seoul’s achievement of seventh place in the K-League last season.”
Expectations are also high for his teamwork with Lingard, who is now a veteran, and Ki Sung-yueng, a Seoul legend. Ki, who recently renewed his contract, said through his club, “I thought a lot about the future after the last season. Notably, I conducted a leadership course after the end of the season, and it is true that I had more thoughts as I met many coaches in the UK. Personally, I felt sorry for the fans because it was not an easy decision to make and the renewal period was extended.” 헤라카지노
Seoul lost its pride by staying in the Final B league for the fourth consecutive year. The club was so popular that it had more than 400,000 paid spectators for the first time last season, but its performance was not conducive to its poor performance. In January, Seoul announced that it would rebuild its reputation by bringing in Kim Ki-dong, the coach of the K-League’s top resourcefulness.
Expectations are also high on how Kim Ki-dong will use Lingard, a left flanker. Kim Ki-dong has made remarkable achievements in the K-League. He started as Pohang’s head coach in 2016 and began coaching in 2019. He demonstrated his “motivation magic” from his debut season to elevate Pohang to fourth place in the league. In the 2020 season, he moved up to third place in the league and advanced to the semifinals of the FA Cup. Even though he failed to win the title at the time, he became a sensation by winning the K-League’s “Coach of the Year” award. His mobility magic shone all the time again this season. Pohang ranked second in the league after Ulsan. He also lifted the trophy at the FA Cup to achieve his first career championship.
“I wouldn’t be here without my confidence. If I felt too much pressure and fear, I wouldn’t choose Seoul,” coach Kim Ki-dong told reporters after his inauguration. “I believe that Seoul should lead the K-League in all aspects, including performance, audience and box office success. My role and responsibility are important because everything can happen only when I have good performance. I think Seoul should have good performance in order to have good performance. Above all, I should have good performance.”
Seoul, which completed its first winter training camp in Hua Hin, Thailand, left for its second winter training camp in Kagoshima, Japan, on Saturday. Coach Kim Ki-dong said that the team will focus on organizing training during the off-season training. “As a professional, it is a must to have physical and mental aspects. As I am here for the first time, I think I need to pay attention to the combination and discuss the direction with the players. I will focus on organizing training,” he said.
When asked about his plans to recruit players during his inauguration press conference, Kim Ki-dong once said, “Now that I am here, I hope the club will give me a good gift.” He will likely receive Lingard, who has one of the most illustrious careers in the K-League, as a gift.
Now, Lingard’s transfer negotiations are over. Attention is focusing on whether Lingard will be able to receive the guidance of head coach Kim Ki-dong from next season.