'He has gained a lot of weight and is not good enough': Gwangju manager slams Jasir Asani

Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo slammed Gwangju midfielder Jasir Asani on Saturday, calling Asani's performance "poor" and questioning his spot on the Albanian national team.

Albania's Jasir Asani, left, and Sweden's Ludwig Augustinsson in action during a friendly in Stockholm, Sweden on March 25. [EPA/YONHAP]

Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo slammed Gwangju midfielder Jasir Asani before their K League 1 match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday, calling Asani's performance "poor" and questioning his spot on the Albanian national team.

“He has gained a lot of weight and is not good enough in training," Lee told reporters ahead of Saturday’s fixture, which Gwangju lost 2-1. "Even if we lose 10 games in a row, Asani will still not play games with his current performance as long as I am still manager."

Albanian winger Asani, who recorded seven goals and three assists in 33 league matches last season as Gwangju's top scorer, has only seen 20 minutes of playing time this year — in a match against Gimcheon Sangmu on April 6.

“He doesn’t play games because his current performance is poor.” Lee told reporters. “Gabriel [Tigrao] has been playing well. I don’t know why Asani is selected for the Albanian national team now. The Albanian national team manager should consider [about selecting Asani.]"

Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo [K LEAGUE]

Lee’s criticism came as Gwangju have been on a decline since last winning a game against Gangwon FC on March 10.

Gwangju have lost all five of their matches since then, showing a stark contrast to last season during which the southern club finished in third place on the 12-team table.

While Gwangju have collected a solid amount of goals — 11 in seven fixtures — their defense has been vulnerable, having conceded the second most amount of goals, at 12, in the league.

New signee Tiagro has filled the gap left by Asani, having scored four goals in seven matches. Fellow forward Lee Geon-hui, meanwhile, has only scored two goals so far.

With two wins and five losses under the belt, Gwangju sit in eighth place as of Sunday.

After a two-week break, they will play Suwon FC at home on April 27.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]