18-year-old Jeonbuk Younggun Kim Yegun is on the verge of advancing to Europe… Zvezda transfer imminent

(Jeonju = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = "I'm excited. It will be difficult, but I will take on the challenge with confidence."

Jeonbuk Hyundai's 'Younggeon' Kim Ye-gun of the K-League 1 professional soccer team, who had the opportunity to advance to the European stage at the age of 18, expressed his aspirations.

Kim Ye-gun is a striker who appeared like a comet in Jeonbuk this year. He is a third-year student at Yeongsaeng High School, a youth team in Jeonbuk, and played in eight games in his debut season, even scoring a goal. He scored his professional debut goal at the age of 17 years, 11 months and 4 days in an away game against Ulsan last month, and has consistently appeared as a substitute since then.

News broke that Kim Ye-gun was transferring to Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), a prestigious club in Eastern Europe.

The agreement between the clubs has been concluded, and only formal procedures such as medical tests remain. In fact, it is at the stage of completion.

Kim Ye-gun, who met with reporters at Jeonju World Cup Stadium ahead of the home game against Ulsan on the 22nd, which was his 'farewell game', confessed his regrets about the short period he played for Jeonbuk.

He said, "I wanted to learn and be loved by my older brothers, but the challenge was also important. It was an opportunity I had always dreamed of since I was young."

Advice from seniors who entered Europe was also introduced.

Kim Ye-gun said, "(Lee) Seung-woo said I had to make the coach like me the most. (Park) Ji-su said I had to adapt well to the team. I think the key to adapting is confidence."

Regarding the fortunate process, Zvez explained, "There was a lot of talk, but it was a team that opened my mind during the meeting. It is a team that matches my play style well. I will be able to play in most of the offensive positions."

It appears that there will be no problem adapting to the new team. Zvezdaen is the team where Hwang In-beom (Porto), a key midfielder of the national team, played, and fullback Seol Young-woo currently belongs to.

Zvezda, considered the strongest team in Serbia, is also a bridgehead to advance to the big league.

Kim Ye-geon said, "When I asked Seol Young-woo, he said it would be difficult to adapt," but also revealed the reason for choosing Zvezda, saying, "As this is my first overseas expansion, I looked for a team that would allow me to adapt (easily) while also providing a stepping stone to other teams."

Regarding Zvezda's playing style, he said, "It is a team that plays strong and aggressive soccer."

When asked if she had any fears about living there, Kim Ye-gun confidently said, "My father is going with me. I can at least say hello in English."

Kim Ye-gun also expressed his gratitude, saying, "I made a lot of good friends during my six years in Jeonbuk. I am grateful to the team that helped me grow."

Jeonbuk coach Jeong Jeong-yong said of Kim Ye-gun's transfer, "It's unfortunate, but of course it's right to go for the sake of Korean soccer."