U-20 team defender Kim Ji-soo joins Brentford following stellar World Cup performance

U-20 World Cup star Kim Ji-soo, 18, signed a four-year contract with an option of additional year with Brentford for an undisclosed fee on Monday, becoming the youngest Korean player to join a Premier League club.

A picture of Kim Ji-soo shared on Brentford's official website on Monday [BRENTFORD]

U-20 World Cup star Kim Ji-soo, 18, signed a four-year contract with an option of additional year with Brentford for an undisclosed fee on Monday, becoming the youngest Korean player to join a Premier League club.

Kim, a former Seongnam FC defender, was one of the key members of the U-20 national team that finished fourth at the World Cup in Argentina earlier this month.

After becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a K League 1 game with Seongnam last year, he was called up for the U-20 squad and played all seven World Cup games, during which he displayed an outstanding performance.

Korea's Kim Ji-soo, center, dribbles the ball during a FIFA U-20 World Cup round of 16 match against Ecuador at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, Argentina on June 1. [YONHAP]

He rose to prominence following the tournament, which induced multiple teams to join the race to sign him.

"Ji-soo is an excellent prospect who was in demand from many teams in Europe this summer," Brentford director Phil Giles said on Monday. "He performed very well at the U-20 World Cup recently, so it's a great credit to Lee Dykes and the recruitment team that we managed to sign him."

Standing well over 183 centimeters tall (six feet) and not afraid to get his hands dirty, Kim Ji-soo has already drawn comparisons to Napoli center-back Kim Min-jae.

He first made his pro debut at Seongnam in 2022 and made 19 appearances during his debut season for the club. He will be the first-ever Korean center-back and teenager to play in the Premier League once he makes his league debut.

"Their attacking and entertaining style of football attracted me," Kim was quoted as saying by Korean media on Tuesday. "I didn't think long because the club's interest in me seemed sincere."

"I think I can improve more just by exercising with world-class players. I will work to show a good performance."

The 18-year-old, however, will not make his debut with Brentford immediately after the 2023-24 Premier League starts, as work permits can be more of a challenge for U-21 players.

"We will give Ji-soo all the time he needs to learn English, adapt to life in England and grow into our club in the B team, and like all of our B-team players, he will earn the opportunity to train and play with the first team based on his performances," Giles said.

Kim will train alongside English football legend David Beckham's son Romeo Beckham at Brentford B, who became a permanent Brentford B player after his six-month loan ended earlier this month.

Brentford may, however, loan Kim out — potentially even back to the K League — in the near future until the club feels like he is ready for some first team action, although the club may also try to keep him closer to home if they think the potential is there.

Another option could be a loan to Danish club Midtjylland, which is also owned by Brentford owner Matthew Bentham. That would give Kim some European experience, as Midtjylland are set to compete in the 2023-24 Europa Conference League.

The upcoming Danish league will begin on July 23, while the Premier League will start on Aug. 11.

BY JIM BULLEY AND PAIK-JIHWAN [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]