Hwang Eui-jo (31) announced that his rental contract with his current team Olympiacos had ended, and clubs in Korea, the United States and Japan are being discussed as new destinations.
This is because, other than extending the lease with Olympiacos, he cannot play for any other team in Europe this season, including his home team Nottingham.
On the 12th (Korean time), Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano, who is well versed in news related to the transfer market, announced on his SNS that “The lease contract between Hwang Ui-jo and Olympiacos has ended.”
Hwang Eui-jo, who played an active role in Seongnam FC and Gamba Osaka, has moved to Europe, emerging as the main player in the gold medal at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018.
Hwang Eui-jo, who moved to French Ligue 1 Bordeaux in early 2019, scored 12 and 11 goals in Ligue 1 in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, respectively, as a top goal scorer in France.
However, as Bordeaux was relegated last season despite Hwang Ui-jo’s struggle, many teams reached out to Hwang Ui-jo.
There were several options, but after signing a contract with Nottingham, he chose the route of leaving on loan to the prestigious Greek Olympiacos.
Before going to Olympiacos, it was considered a cramped stage for Hwang Eui-jo to run, but the reality was different.
While his teammate Hwang In-beom established himself as a key midfielder upon transfer, Hwang Ui-jo did not play an active role in the early season opportunity and has rarely played recently. He played 559 minutes in 12 official matches for Olympiacos. In particular, no goals were scored.
Olympiacos decided to terminate the lease for Hwang Ui-jo, who was not performing well. Now he has to go back to Nottingham, but the problem is that he rarely sees a chance to play for his home team.
With the end of his lease, Hwang Eui-jo is in a situation where he has to find a new place to live. Including the K-League U-turn, advancing to the U.S. and returning to Japan are emerging.
“MLS (Major League Soccer) Minnesota has made an official offer to Nottingham Forest to recruit Hwang Ui-jo,” Romano said. “MLS teams such as LAFC, Portland, Chicago, and Vancouver are also interested in Hwang Ui-jo. (K League) FC Seoul and (J League) Vissel Kobe are the same.”
The Nottingham Post, a Nottingham local newspaper, also acknowledged Minnesota’s long-standing interest, saying, “Minnesota paid 4 million pounds (about 6.1 billion won) to recruit Hwang Ui-jo before Nottingham hired him.”
According to the newspaper, Minnesota Technical Director Mark Watson expressed his intention to recruit Hwang Ui-jo, saying, “We wanted Hwang Ui-jo. The fact that 먹튀검증
Hwang Eui-jo could not go to another team in Europe also served as an opportunity to turn his eyes to non-European clubs such as the United States, Korea and Japan.
According to Article 5 Paragraph 4 of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Regulations, soccer players can only register for up to three teams in a season, and if the registered clubs belong to the same federation, only two teams can compete in official matches.
Hwang Eui-jo played two French second division matches in Bordeaux before moving to Nottingham. He subsequently enrolled at Nottingham and played official matches for Olympiacos.
Therefore, it is impossible for him to play for Nottingham this season. Exceptionally, there is a way to play for six more months in Korea, Japan, and the United States, which start a new season in the spring.
Accordingly, FC Seoul and Minnesota are trying to recruit Hwang Eui-jo.
As he went through the steps of completely breaking up with Olympiacos without extending the lease contract, attention was paid to what outcome Hwang Eui-jo’s struggle for resurrection would lead to.