When Inbeom Hwang said he wanted to be in Europe “as fast as he could” in January, first for journalist Paul Neat, waves of dismay passed through the Vancouver Whitecaps fan base, their words left them wounded and betrayed.
The fact hurts. But that’s the fact.
And let’s be clear: it’s not so much the fact that he didn’t need to be in Vancouver, but his preference for playing in Europe is much, much stronger. Hwang’s been saying this for years, obviously and obviously, to anyone. someone who would like to listen; some have, some have not.
The Whitecaps did so, despite everything that formalized the resolution that had been reported for days on Friday, that Hwang will sign for the Rubin Kazan club of the Russian Premier League.
The clubs did not disclose the move-in fee, however, Manuel Veth of Transfermarkt said it was about $2. 95 million. Whitecaps will also withhel 25 percent of long-term moving fees.
It is a mutually favourable resolution for both sides. The Whitecaps, who paid Daejeon Citizen $1. 8 million in January 2019, make a small profit and move a player who has never reached the point where a designated MLS player will have to act.
Hwang, 24, moves to Europe, where he sought to finish.
“He asked for (a decision),” whitecaps CEO and athletic director Axel Schuster said.
“We weren’t at the market, hunting to sell it, though I can’t blame him. From the first moment I got here, he told me that his purpose was to move to Europe, and I said: open to support, but only if we find a solution that satisfies everyone. “
“Then (his wishes were) clear, and they have become more concrete in a few weeks. We were in a position to make (a move), if we can make a noticeable profit from this business, because it will have to make sense for us to let it go mid-season.
“And in the end, we had 3 official offers from 3 other clubs, and with this offer from Rubin Kazan, we were going to satisfy the 3 parts . . . and that’s when we agreed to let him go.
“He fell in love with Vancouver. ” The story of Inbeom Hwang and his adventure from Daejeon, South Korea. ItTakesAVillage? #VWFC pic. twitter. com/9fRoA772Je
The exaggeration surrounding Hwang’s arrival in Vancouver was, first, matched through his field play, as he showed the same technical mastery he showed at the foreign point for the Taegeuk Warriors, who have risen from 60 to 40 in the FIFA World Rankings in the Two-Year Area.
But the cultural clash, tiredness, tension and tiredness worked havoc on the young player, who lived outdoors in his native country for the first time in his life, and then came defeat, and there were many, as the Caps left. 8-16-10 and headed to the basement of the Western Conference.
He expressed his discomfort to members of Vancouver’s South Korean community. His agent sniffed the option to move as far as the summer of 2019. When the Taegeuk Warriors Tavern published a detailed article stating that his move to Vancouver had been forced. Questionable circumstances, is that the sale would come faster or later.
But after a low rest season and the progression of friendships with left-back Ali Adnan and midfielder Russell Teibert, Hwang settled into a more regular life in Vancouver.
Then. . . Inbeom is sold on this Ali @MLS ?? #VWFC pic. twitter. com/0lZkEUOvxP
Caps coach Marc Dos Santos has never questioned his player’s preference for using the hoop, even claiming that his push and preference for bringing the team may have fragmented his effect on the field, but he also said that Europe’s mermaid song may have distracted Hwang from the present.
“And the other component is where you want to grow up, and we’ve had a lot of conversations about it, if you want to know more about where you are now and not too much where you want to be tomorrow,” Dos Santos said. .
“I dreamed of moving to Europe and betting in Europe, and we tried to prepare it as more productive for that. I think the things Inbeom had disorders with, or were more complicated for him, was to disconnect from how much he sought to move to Europe while he was here.
“And that can infrequently stop a player. It is very vital for you to maximize what you are doing in a position and not think about where you want to be, as this can limit it and maybe turn it into what you want to do here. “
Dos Santos, who made Hwang one of his main targets when he took over as head coach and de facto general manager in November 2018, had no doubt that he would help Kazan in his quest to return the five most sensitive. . RPL and a secure position in the Champions League game.
“For Inbeom at his age, getting to Vancouver was a big step to prepare now to move to a new club where it’s already adapted to a new reality, to anything else he faced in Korea. It’s a very vital step, for him to move on, ” said Dos Santos.
“Now he’s a much more mature player. He is now a suitable player for other cultures; you may play with players who speak other languages and you’ll have more ease to adapt, where you’re going. He’s a very talented player and a quality player, and that’s why we were able to make a very smart deal where he’s headed. Because he’s a player with potential. “
Hwang’s abduction from the squad means the Caps lose their maximum competent and artistic midfielder. He had only 4 goals and six assists in his 41 appearances in all competitions, but was poorly ranked No. 6, not physical enough to be the No. 8 in MLS with a light weight of 155 pounds, and cannot have an effect like No. 10 on a team with no scorers shown.
His intermediate role will be assumed through Leo Owusu, complemented through the other existing midfielders. Janio Bickel can also enter as a midfielder, but it turns out that Dos Santos prefers him as a right-back.
The Caps’ next goal is the same player profile they’ve lacked for years: an artistic and offensive midfielder, able to bond with the strikers and generate to score and take possession.
The disjointed nature of this season has increased the tension for this player immediately. While there are still playoffs, a Canadian championship and a place for the CONCACAF Champions League to play, potentially, depending on the reaction of the continent’s new coronavirus, the COVID-19 Interruptions kaleidoscope makes it difficult to compare the list very well.
“It’s very transparent to us, the player we’re for has to get a lot on the team. We need to take our time to locate the right one and not hurry up and bring anyone in. There’s no way to do that,” Dos Santos said.
“We have to do our thing with the list we have now and not rush and just point to a guy because we sold Inbeom. “
COVID-19 also means more barriers on the transaction side. Visa documents take a month or more to obtain, and then any incoming foreign player will have to be quarantined for 14 days, which will waste their fitness during that period. to integrate education with the team in the most sensible of that. A imaginable september signing might not be able to play until mid-October.
“This season is so difficult, so different . . . it’s so uncertain, so many things that we can’t panic,” Dos Santos said. “I would wait and locate the guy who can make a difference here for 3 years, then hurry up and update Inbeom with a guy who will be inferior to Inbeom or the same.
“Now we have to look for the next level, and that’s what we’re looking to do. “
Schuster said the Caps were in all grades and markets for a player, either inside or outside the MLS, but locating what they want in the league doesn’t seem like an option.
“We have a short list (of players) . . . and we rebuilt it and readjusted it one or both weeks,” he said. “We have a short list with Phantom Array players . . . we would consider it an option for both of us. position in case something happens. So now it’s (the time) to paint on our short list and take a look at the odds, and at the same time, we’ve focused a little more on this position over the last two weeks (there are) when we knew it (was going to) happen.
“We will keep our eyes open if there is any other opportunity due to the specific market situation. We are also in favor of league solutions, but who is abandoning the very intelligent player?And we have a very express profile in our minds. I don’t see in the League a club abandoning the player or missing from the industry a player who fills precisely that profile.
“Mid-season, (the market is) more effective for players who might not play or don’t get meaningful minutes. The task of a player who can really have an effect on our team is what is sought in the postseason, however, as I said, we are looking for a solution before that.
Hwang is pleased to have discovered his own solution. Kazan finished 10th in the Russian championship last year and his season last weekend. His quest to climb the ladder continues on Saturday against FC Ural Yekaterinburg, but Inbeom will not play in this match.
“I am very grateful to all members of (Whitecaps FC) for their professionalism on and off the field,” Hwang said in a team statement.
“I’m disappointed to leave this team without getting the effects we wanted. I grew up as a user and player during my time in Vancouver and made lifelong friends. I have been very open about my dream of betting in Europe and when this opportunity presented itself, I shared my preference to take on this new challenge.
“To the fans, thank you for your support. I will constitute the Whitecaps with honor in Europe and look forward to seeing that the club continues to grow and with great success. “
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