유지호
| 2023-02-22 14:32:30
football player-season
New FC Seoul forward Hwang Ui-jo hoping to make impact in short loan stint
SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Yonhap) -- Having returned to his native South Korea for a short stint following a disappointing stretch in Europe, new FC Seoul forward Hwang Ui-jo has set a lofty goal for himself.
At a preseason press conference in Seoul, Hwang said Wednesday he will try to score in double figures for his K League 1 club. That may not sound like much for a veteran scorer like Hwang, except that he is only here on a six-month loan.
Only 12 players scored 10 or more goals in the K League 1 last year, and 11 of them played in over 20 matches.
"No matter which league or which team I play at, my objective has always been to reach double digits in goals," Hwang said. "I will try to do just that with FC Seoul. I want to play a winning brand of football and entertain our supporters."
Hwang agreed to his move back to the K League 1 earlier this month, putting his European career on hold. After beginning this season with FC Girondins de Bordeaux in France, he signed with the Premier League club Nottingham Forest in August 2022. Nottingham immediately loaned him to Olympiacos FC in Greece, but the national team mainstay never found his way around there.
Hwang did not score in 11 matches in all competitions with Olympiacos. His last Greek league appearance was on Oct. 17.
It was a far cry from his successful stint in France, where he led Bordeaux in goals in 2021 and again in 2022.
Under FIFA rules on player transfers, Hwang wasn't eligible to dress for another European club this season but was allowed to suit up in the K League, whose season falls within the same calendar year, unlike in Europe.
Hwang, 30, last played in the K League for Seongnam FC in 2017.
At FC Seoul, Hwang has been reunited with his former Seongnam head coach, An Ik-soo, who, earlier Wednesday, said he was counting on Hwang to average a goal per match.
"The coach is still as tough as ever, but I think he has also become more open-minded, when it comes to communicating with players," Hwang said. "I want to continue to learn from him and try to execute his tactics the best I can."
Though he only joined FC Seoul for the second phase of their offseason camp, Hwang said he's "about 80 to 90 percent" of the match fitness level.
"During camp, I played in scrimmages to ramp up for the season," Hwang said. "I shouldn't have any physical problems."
FC Seoul finished in ninth place last year, avoiding falling into a promotion-relegation playoff by just two points. Hwang's arrival, albeit for half a season, has turned FC Seoul into a trendy preseason pick as a top-four team in 2023.
Where Hwang will go, or if even he will leave Seoul, after the end of his loan deal is anyone's guess at this point.
Coach An said he would like Hwang to stay put for at least the rest of this season, though he conceded that it was ultimately up to the player.
On his future beyond August, Hwang said: "It's out of my control. I will do the best I can on the field and then see what happens later."
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