🆕 10 Things on my 🎄 X-Mas Wish List: Korean Football Edition I talk about: • Coupang Play coverage • Bae Jun-ho & Eom Ji-sung • The next generation • Raising the bar in Korean football • and more . . . Full story below 👇

🆕 5 Lessons I've Learned in my First Full Year as a Professional Football Scout What's inside: • What makes the best collaborations • No, I am not Rodri • Managing environments Full story below 👇

I grew up reading @johnduerden.bsky.social's articles in Asian football, so for him to recommend my Substack newsletter is an absolute honor. Thank you John. Make sure to follow his work as well!

Physicality + technique can go a long way. Just ask Hwang Hee-chan. Early on he was raw: erratic decisions, inconsistent passing, frustrating to watch at times. But his strength & ball striking were always a threat. Things started to click once the game slowed down for him.

Confidence & trust shape careers. Look at Hong Hyun-seok, one of the most reliable playmakers in Belgium a few years ago. 800 league minutes in the past 2 years. He lacks confidence right now, and he's always been a bit of a confidence player. The poor guy badly needs a loan.

With Bucheon beating Suwon FC in the playoff, next year's K League 1 is set: Jeonbuk Daejeon Gimcheon Pohang Gangwon FC Seoul Gwangju FC Anyang Ulsan Jeju ⬆️ Bucheon ⬆️ Incheon

What an embarrassment for the K League that Gus Poyet is leaving Jeonbuk after a title win bc of a referee's fragile ego & the league's inability to admit their wrongs. Hopefully this is the catalyst for change because the league needs it after this year. Horrible PR.

🆕 South Korea’s Best Pure Finisher (Not Named Son Heung-min) I broke down 🇰🇷’s top U25 goalscorers across Europe & Asia with a new 7-metric PFI model. What’s inside: • Son’s elite finishing profile • Oh Hyeon-gyu & Lee Kang-in's big numbers • Kim Min-su + others 👀 Link 👇

K League Season 🔚 • Sad to see Daegu relegated despite Cesinha's 24 league G/A • Ulsan escapes relegation playoffs • Sabbag crowned top scorer (17) • Cesinha + Lee Dong-gyeong most assists (12) • Incheon United ⬆️ If you missed it, here's my end of season piece below 👇

Jo Jin-ho vs Trabzonspor 50/53 accurate passes (see map below) 94% passing 2/3 successful dribbles 3/4 long balls 4 tackles 8 recoveries 7/13 ground duels won Elite performance in Konyaspor's 3-1 away loss. Very underrated player.

2025 #KLeague 1 Season Review + Award Picks With the end of the season looming, my new Substack post covers: • How Gus Poyet led Jeonbuk back to the top🏆 • Cesinha doing Cesinha things (as always) • My Best XI + award selections Link 👇

Kim Min-su scored a goal vs Castellon yesterday, continuing to play like one of FC Andorra's top players at 19. 🥇Leads the team in: Goals (4) Assists (3) Succ. dribbles per 90 (2.25) There's a reason I've been raving about him since last year. Great to see him make the most of his chances.

🆕 A Need for Servers, not "Self-Servers" in Korean Football Korean football's biggest issue isn't talent. It's selfishness & short-term vision. A results-driven culture has bred: • Pragmatist coaches • Shortsighted decisions • Inefficient recruitment Link 👇

I gave your Substack a shout-out on today's episode when I discussed the 3 intl games this week!

🇰🇷 🍂 KNT November International Preview: Bolivia & Ghana Another Thursday, another Substack post. Starting tomorrow night, South Korea plays Bolivia & Ghana. I preview the matchups + opposition analysis: 🇧🇴 Korea must stop Miguelito 🇬🇭 Set pieces could be key Link 👇

U17 World Cup 🇰🇷 South Korea 3-1 Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 Strong end to the group stage for Baek Gi-tae's boys, who finish 2nd in Group F with 7 points. Kim Ji-sung scored a worldie & the subs were impactful. My MOTM: Kim Ji-sung #U17WC

📩 Mailbag #1.1: "How Korea's youth football system differs from Japan's (and more)" Continuing our look into 🇰🇷's youth development: 💬 Chat with @rbyryo.bsky.social on 🇯🇵 ⚽ On Hong Myung-bo & the potential MLS pathway Read below 👇

📩 Mailbag #1: "How does the South Korean youth football system work?" In my newest Substack post, I explore: • Grassroots development • The school & academy pipeline • Reliance on tournaments • and more . . . Link below 👇

❓Ask Me Anything I've been writing on Substack for almost three weeks now. Would love to know what you've been curious about in Korean football lately. Feel free to drop your questions or topics below or DM me. I'll answer some in this week’s post 👇

It's Thursday, and that means my new Substack piece is up. In this one, I talk about: • Why it's crucial that the 🇰🇷 KNT maximizes Lee Kang-in's talents • What tactical challenges Korea may face in the future as a result • How the NT can answer some of these questions 👇

Been saying that Bae Jun-ho isn't a natural goalscoring LW & the Kuwait match showed why. Solid playmaking, but inconsistent finishing. Right now, he’s best as a half-space AM/CM: excellent at carrying the ball, making smart decisions, & linking play in the final third.

Solid showing, albeit against an outmatched Kuwaiti side. Kim Ju-sung & Lee Han-beom offered a glimpse of 🇰🇷's young CB depth: 146/149 passing (9/11 long balls) combined. Oh Hyeon-gyu, Lee Kang-in, Bae Jun-ho & Jeon Jin-woo: 3 goals and 2 assists as the starting front four. #KNT

🔎 One to Watch: Suwon Samsung's Ko Jong-hyun Scouting Profile ⬇️

Son Heung-min could be made available after Ange's sacking. A short-term Bundesliga return would be a full-circle moment, but unsure of his interest given his past comments on racism in 🇩🇪. He may be slowing down, but there’s still gas in the tank. One last dance in Europe?

World Cup bound for the 11th consecutive time! South Korea punches their ticket to North America next June! 🇰🇷✈️🌎 The last time South Korea didn’t qualify (1982): - The K-League didn’t exist - Son Heung-min wasn’t born - 🇰🇷 was under a dictatorship

Funny how both Park Ji-sung and Lee Kang-in won their first UCL without playing in the final. Crazy that the little guy from Shootdori would grow up to emulate Park & lift the trophy in similar circumstances. Hope we see him play and win one someday. Congrats to LKI & PSG! 🏆

Jeonbuk have been insane away from home this season. Defensive powerhouses so far 🧱 TWO goals conceded in eight matches. 19 points from a maximum of 24. Their only loss? A 1-0 defeat against Ulsan back on March 1st. The rematch is in Jeonju tomorrow.

Year after year, Belgian clubs find uncut gems from unusual places, often at undervalued prices, polish them up then sell them for significant profits. Their recruitment model is perhaps the most diverse in football, and certainly among the most successful. Llew Davies reveals how they do it.

I would post here more often if there was a decent audience for 🇰🇷⚽ Don't really see that unfortunately

Seol Young-woo's Crvena zvezda just suffered its first league loss (one assist for him), but PSG still has a shot at history with four matches left. No Ligue 1 side has ever gone an entire season undefeated. Lee Kang-in could be immortalized as part of the first 🇫🇷 Invincibles.

Seems like Hong Hyun-seok was brought in as a long-term Lee Jae-sung replacement. Limited minutes make sense with LJS in form. Both have similar defensive flaws, so starting them together doesn’t suit Mainz’s press. Still think Hong’s Bundesliga-level, just not the right fit.

Incheon's Kim Gun-hee and Gwangju's Byeon Jun-soo remind me of each other. Both strong U23 CBs with a solid blend of dueling and ability on the ball, plus the occasional mental lapse. Clean that up, and more concrete overseas interest could start to materialize.

Could be a wild K-League weekend coming up. • Ulsan vs Gangwon - last season's champions vs runners-up • Daejeon vs Gimcheon - current 1st vs 2nd • FC Anyang vs Suwon FC / Pohang vs Jeju - toss ups • Gwangju vs FC Seoul - 4th vs 5th • Jeonbuk vs Daegu - 🇰🇷 vs 🇧🇷

The South Korean U17s played arguably their best football of the tournament for 98 minutes vs. Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas & conceded the match tying penalty with one minute left. Football is ruthless, all it takes is one mistake. Onto the World Cup. #AFCU17

Physical upside is important for every player, but it's an X-factor for Korean players who want to make it to the top level. Kim Min-jae: physicality Son Heung-min: pace Park Ji-sung: stamina Cha Bum-kun: athleticism Unless you have Lee Kang-in level technique, it's tough.

Jesse Lingard has been a bit unlucky with assists. He's leading the K-League 1 in xA with 3.0, but has no assists this season. Other "unlucky" K1 players: Matheus Oliviera -1.7 (1.7 xA, 0 A) Kim Kang-guk -1.4 (1.4 xA, 0 A) Actual assist leaders: Lee Dong-gyeong, Anderson (3)

Some encouraging signs from the three South Koreans in the Championship. Yang Min-hyeok (0.57 G/A per 90) Bae Jun-ho (season high 8 G/A) Eom Ji-sung (1.54 successful dribbles per 90) End product (especially the latter two) still needs work, but they're improving in other areas.

Strikers who can create their own offense with 1 v 1 actions > strikers whose scoring largely depends on others' creativity. BUT the caveat is that elite finishing/movement trumps all. Personally I tend to look for movement strikers the most. Depends on team composition though.

Death, taxes, and... -Anderson leading K-League 1 in dribbles per 90 (2.7) -Cesinha in key passes per 90 (3.3) -Joo Min-kyu in goals per 90 (0.90) -Lee Dong-gyeong in assists per 90 (0.48) -Kim Dae-won in xA per 90 (0.60) The regular culprits.

Another year, another Lee Gi-hyuk data masterclass. 🏅100th percentile: Aerial duels won per 90 🏅100th percentile: Touches per 90 🏅100th percentile: Successful passes per 90 🥈94th percentile: Duels won per 90 🥈86th percentile: Accurate long balls per 90

Crvena zvezda's relationship with 🇰🇷 is still young, but has been fruitful. Hwang In-beom won the 23-24 Serbian Superliga Player of the Year en route to a domestic double, while the club is still undefeated this season with Seol Young-woo providing stability at both FB spots.

🔎🇰🇷 Five South Korean Players to Watch at the 2025 U17 Asian Cup Tottenham's Yang Min-hyeok & Yun Do-young of Brighton impressed at this tournament back in 2023. Starting April 3rd, a new crop of Korean prospects will enter the public eye. Who's next? [THREAD]

Some solid performances from 🇰🇷 footballers in Europe this past week, including: -Oh Hyeon-gyu with a brace off the bench (9 goals in only 432 minutes) -Seol Young-woo's 6th league goal of the season -Yang Min-hyeok & Bae Jun-ho both score in the same match -Jens Castrop assist

The Yoon Jong-hwan Effect. Love that he isn't afraid to play youth if he feels they're good enough. 3/4 of Incheon's starting backline this season are U22. CB Kim Gun-hee (22) CB Park Kyung-sub (20) RB Choi Seung-gu (19) Some growing pains now, but could reap benefits later.

Lee Han-beom is in danger of falling behind with a lot of up-and-coming young Korean CBs on the horizon. Kim Ji-soo also isn't getting enough minutes at Brentford either atm, but as long as he gets a loan move next season, I'm not too worried about him (yet).

Exhibit A: Why the stats/data from a single match can be misleading, and why the eye test is still king. Park Yong-woo was nowhere near being Man of the Match. Identifying a DM is a paramount issue. There are plenty of Korean 8s, but not enough 6s.

Germany × South Korea 🇩🇪 🤝 🇰🇷 Over the past 40+ years, Germany has steadily become one of South Korea's strongest pathways into Europe. Let's take a brief look at the footballing history between the two countries and what this relationship has built. [THREAD]

A Cinderella story developing in the Korea Cup. Sejong SA FC, a club that was founded two months ago in K4, have upset two consecutive clubs. They beat K3 club Ulsan Citizen 3-0 in the previous round and K2 club Jeonnam Dragons 3-1 today.

Even though Hwang Hee-chan scored vs Oman, yesterday's match was a perfect example of this. He looked lost at RW. While it isn't his fault that he was played there, he also could have done more. Great players show that they can adapt.

I hope he proves me wrong, but Hwang Hee-chan needs to adjust his game to continue playing in Europe past 30. He still relies a lot on his athleticism, so I'd like to see him make more adjustments as his pace starts to go. That's what separates the good players from the great.