K League clubs rush to bolster squads as transfer window closes

The 2023 K League 1 summer transfer window closed in a rush on Thursday as teams scrambled to squeeze in a few more signings to bolster their squad going into the second half of the 2023 campaign.

Yago Cariello joins Gangwon FC. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The 2023 K League 1 summer transfer window closed in a rush on Thursday as teams scrambled to squeeze in a few more signings to bolster their squad going into the second half of the 2023 campaign.

Unsurprisingly, changes at the bottom of the table were more visible, with the recently recovered Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor as the one outlier, investing heavily in new talent despite having recently worked their way back into the top half of the table.

Here are some of the biggest market moves of the summer.

Last-place Gangwon signed five new players in an attempt to climb out of the relegation zone — the team currently sits in 11th place on the 12-team table as of press time Friday. All five signings apart from defender Marko Tuci of Montenegro are expected to boost Gangwon’s attack.

Midfielder Yoon Il-lok and the Brazilian trio of Yago Cariello, Vitor Gabriel and Welinton Junior are all big offensive players, expected to fill the void left by Yang Hyun-jun, who jetted off to Britain to join Celtic a few days earlier.

The last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings added multiple new players to their squad, as they are looking to redeem themselves in the second half of the season. With their main focus also on reinforcing their attack, the Bluewings signed Japanese attacking midfielder Kozuka Kazuki and striker Go Moo-yul along with defender Kim Ju-won. They also brought in Brazilian forward Werik Popo on loan from Red Bull Bragantino.

Werik Popo poses in a Suwon Samsung Bluewings shirt in a photo released by the club on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The team’s priority in the remaining season is to score more goals and get out of the relegation zone, a tough ask as they are currently the second-least prolific team season after Gangwon with just 23 goals as of Friday and only three wins to their name.

The Bluewings’ local rivals Suwon FC signed four players, making some noticeable changes also in their attack with the Brazilian duo of Walterson Silva and Ricardo Lopes, in addition to Kim Jae-hyeon. They also bolstered their defense with the addition of another Brazilian, defender Hugo Gomes.

Despite sitting in fourth place as of press time, Jeonbuk still signed five new players as part of new manager Dan Petrescu's efforts to sculpt his own team ahead of the second half of the season.

The noticeable changes are in the team’s defense with defender An Hyun-beom and Tomas Petrasek and defensive midfielder Nana Boateng added to the squad alongside national team stalwart Kim Jin-su, who was on loan from Al Nassr but has now been made permanent.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Kim Jin-su in action at Yulsori Clubhouse in Wanju County, North Jeolla on Sept. 16, 2022. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Forward Bak Jae-yong is another addition that will fill the void left by Cho Gue-sung, who left the team to join Danish team FC Midtjylland earlier this month.

With Hwang Ui-jo now out of the FC Seoul squad after his loan from Nottingham Forest ended, the capital side was also looking for a replacement. The club is believed to have signed Norwegian forward Bjorn Maars Johnson — although it has not been confirmed as of press time — who is expected to boost the team’s already formidable attack led by Na Sang-ho.

Bjorn Maars Johnsen [K LEAGUE]

A few other teams like Daegu FC, Daejeon Hana Citizen and Incheon United have also made new signings in preparation for the second half of the season.

Midseason moves to the K League have proven highly successful in the past.

One example is Ulsan Hyundai’s Martin Adam, who joined last season and quickly adapted to the team to score nine goals in 14 games in the second half.

Ulsan did not sign any new players during this year’s summer transfer window as they have already proven highly successful with their current lineup — the league leaders sit 12 points clear at the top of the table as of press time Friday.

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