Every summer the press is full of speculation about which Korean player is going where. A potential transfer to one of the big leagues in Europe is a major generator of headlines in the numerous sports dailies on sale in Seoul and well as the innumerable portals that litter the internet. It works both ways. As well as players like Lee Chung-yong who head west, there are those who come in the opposite direction and come home after stints in Europe. Last year Lee Dong-gook, who spent 18 fairly miserable months in England with Middlesbrough, came back to the K-League late last year, just in time to spend a short – and fairly miserable time- with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. This year though, he relocated to Jeonju and is starring for title challengers Jeonbuk Motors.

Autumn has been more fruitful than the summer. As the last European season came to an end in May, the fate of South Korea’s overseas stars really hung in the balance. Some were fit, few were playing and none were scoring. Lee Dong-guk and Lee Chun-soo were soon heading back east after unsuccessful spells in England and the Netherlands respectively. Neither managed a league goal and, it is safe though cruel to say, neither will be missed by the fans left behind. But there are always more willing to wander westwards in search of fame and fortune. Kim Do-heon has impressed for Premier League new boys West Bromich Albion. The ex-Seongnam star almost scored the best goal of the English season so far but his rocket shot from 30 metres bounced off the crossbar. His performances led the BBC to label him a ‘tenacious, technical and tidy player’. Now he is injured after a freak accident in last week’s match at Middlesbrough. After just 20 seconds, Kim caught his cleats in the turf and twisted his knee. He was carried off in obvious pain. Korean TV network MBC was also distressed. Following the Korean practice of starting the broadcast a minute or two after kick-off, Kim had already left the field by the time viewers joined the action, leaving commentators unsure of how to explain the events. Also unsure of how to deal with Kim’s absence is national team coach Huh Jung-moo. The player will be back in action some time in November and will miss South Korea’s crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier against UAE on October 15. Another overseas absentee for that Seoul match next week is Park Chu-young. The striker joined Monaco on the last day of August and scored on his first day of action for the seven-time French champions. It is coach Huh’s opinion that Park needs to spend more time adjusting to his new club instead of flying back east. That doesn’t apply to Park Ji-sung’s of course. The Manchester United star scored in his first Premier League start of the season against Chelsea in September as he returned to fitness and then the team after a knee injury. That problem kept him out of South Korea’s opening World Cup qualification match against North Korea last month. After that 1-1 tie and the criticism that followed it, coach Huh was never going to leave leave Park in England. He arrived at Incheon airport on Monday. “It is right to say that Korean football is in crisis,” said Park, following the tradition of Korean overseas players returning home in strange headgear –a white bandage-style hat. Still, it was better than Seol Ki-hyeon's summer rice farmer look. “However, this is a good chance to move forward. I aim to help the national team get a good result. If we win against UAE, we can prepare for the other games more comfortably. We have to collect three points.” Crisis talk is premature but the game against UAE is not only must-win for the team; the coach’s future depends on it. A defeat will probably signal the end of Huh, who took the reins just before Christmas. A draw would cause problems and would put Korea on two points after two games – not a good start especially when one considers that the next tests are the toughest – trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia. These are not places where the Taeguk Warriors usually excel. Before all that however is a warm-up match against Uzbekistan on Saturday in Suwon. The Central Asians are en route to a crucial World Cup qualifier of their own in Japan. After two defeats in their opening two games, the Uzbeks need a good result in Saitama. That poor start cost coach Rauf Inilieev his job. That fact won’t be lost on Huh Jung-moo when the two teams take the pitch this weekend. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

For some time now, England’s Premier League has been regarded as football’s Promised Land for those in the K-league and the exodus westwards shows little sign of letting up during January’s transfer window – the last opportunity for clubs to buy and sell players until the end of the season. At the end of 2007, all four English Taeguk Warriors were active in the league –finally. On the day after Christmas, bumper holiday crowds witnessed the unusual sight of the entire quartet clocking up minutes on the pitch - Park Ji-sung returned from a nine-month injury lay-off for Manchester United, Lee Dong-guk tried to score his first goal for Middlesbrough, Seol Ki-hyeon made a rare start for Fulham and Lee Young-pyo completed another 90 minutes in Tottenham’s colours. The fluctuating fortunes of Korea’s fantastic four haven’t deterred eager compatriots from trying to join them in the world’s richest league. Cho Jae-jin looks likely to make it a famous five. The Little Emperor has long desired to move from Japan to England. After three successful years with Shimizu S-Pulse, the muscular striker is a free agent and England-bound. The process hasn’t been entirely smooth. Cho’s agent told reporters that four English clubs had expressed serious interest. Newcastle United was top of Cho’s list but after the Korean media had declared that the deal was done, the troubled Tyneside team told the English press that: "The club has had discussions with the player and his representatives, but has decided not to proceed any further." Cho moved from the north-east to the south coast and started talking to Portsmouth at the end of last week. The 26 year-old could provide valuable cover for the club which will lose a number of players in January to the African Nations’ Cup. Seongnam’s Kim Do-heon could also be on his way to the Premier League to join Derby County or West Bromich Albion of the championship. The championship is England’s second tier but WBA is in with a great chance of winning promotion to the Premier League in time for the start of next season. The club’s coach Tony Mowbray is still unsure whether he will sign the midfielder but at least he is getting first hand experience of dealing with Korean agents. "The agent is trying to get across that Kim is a big star in Korea,” Mowbray told his local newspaper. “There are thousands of people at his wedding, it's front page news over there so he's sent me the pictures to make sure I'm aware of it. "What they don't always do is work out the time difference very well…I was trying to deal with somebody who is living in Korea and phoning me at strange times.” Strange times indeed and it is not just senior international player that have been heading west to show what they can do. Captain of the Under-17 team, Yoon Bitgaram had a trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers and could become part of the team’s youth program. This will involve a stint in Belgium with Blackburn’s ‘feeder club’ Cercle Brugge. And all that’s within the first week of the window and while nobody has squeezed through just yet, it is only a matter of time. It will be a busy month. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting