The move is highly anticipated because Lee has been recognized by European scouts as having the potential to succeed Kim Min-jae.
Meatwillan announced through the club’s website on the 28th (KST), “Lee Han-beom has transferred to Meatwillan. He joins us from FC Seoul in South Korea on a four-year contract. He played 54 games for Seoul.” He wears the number 3 shirt.
Born in 2002, Lee was touted as a big-time prospect in his first year as a professional. He made 10 appearances in his debut season to gain experience, but a long-term injury in September sidelined him for the second half of the season, and he returned for the final game of the season to finish his first campaign. He suffered two more injuries in 2022, with an August injury ruling him out for the season.
He was ready to make a comeback after the start of the season, but made his first appearance of the season as a substitute against Gangwon FC in Round 9. He quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup against Suwon FC and has been a consistent starter ever since, forming part of Seoul’s defense alongside Kim Joo-sung.
Lee’s biggest strength is his physicality, which allows him to compete with outside forwards. In particular, Lee neutralizes opposing attackers by blocking, competing for aerial balls, and tackling at the back. In the K League, he showed his physicality against the likes of Hapa Silva, Hayes, and Yuri Jonatan, and boasted an iron wall defense.
European clubs took notice of his performance, with Mittwylan actively pursuing Lee with an unconventional offer. Mittwilan offered a transfer fee of around 1.5 million euros (about 2.1 billion won). “It’s rare for a defender to leave for that kind of money,” a football insider told Interfootball on June 26, adding that he was leaving on a high note.
Receiving the No. 3 shirt made him even more excited. “Lee is a young player who has made great strides over the past year in Korea’s top league,” said Mittwillan. He is physically strong, athletic and good at competing. His strength and ability to read the game is good. At the same time, he is a ball-playing defender who can prepare for the game,” said Sven Graversen.
“We are dealing with a humble player who has big dreams and knows he has a lot of work to do. Now that he is in the squad, we need to continue his rapid development and build on it to help him make the transition from Korean to European soccer.”
Lee Han-beom was also delighted with the move to Mittwilan. “I’m happy to be here,” he said. The most important thing for me is to make a difference on the pitch. I’ve watched a lot of Mittwilan’s games, and I think their aggressive and active style of play is what made the move so attractive,” he said.
“My dream is to join the Korean national team, and my goal is to win trophies here. This is my clear goal for next year,” he added.
He was paired with Cho Kyu-sung. However, the two players have not had much contact so far. Lee Han-beom said, “I don’t know him personally, but we’ve played against each other a few times. I know about his K League career, and it would be cool to play on the same team as him. I hope we can become close teammates.”
Lee’s move gives South Korea three center back options in Europe. The first is Kim Min-jae. After developing into a “wallflower center back” at Napoli last season, Kim made a name for himself in a Bayern Munich jersey this summer. He was born in 1996, so he could still play in two more World Cups.
The need for a center back to play alongside him was crucial. At the last FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan Hyundai) played alongside him. However, Kim was born in 1990 and will be 36 years old at the upcoming World Cup. Therefore, the next center back will be crucial.
This is where Kim Ji-soo comes in. After making his debut for Seongnam FC last season, Kim was recognized for his potential and earned a spot in the Brentford shirt this summer. Kim was born in 2004, making him an even more promising resource for the future. 카지노사이트
Jürgen Klinsmann has already taken notice. She was named to the A-Match squad in September and has already attracted a lot of attention. “Kim Ji-soo and Kim Ji-soo were two players I met and checked out, but I didn’t pick them because of their immediate impact, but because I saw the potential for them to be part of the future of the national team,” Klinsmann explained.
Joining them in Europe is Lee Han-bum. Lee has yet to earn a call-up to the A-team, but he has been working his way up through the age groups. At the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, Lee helped South Korea reach the quarterfinals. He was named to the final roster for the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games and will now focus on the Asian Games in September to go for gold.
Leave a Reply