‘South Korea’s hottest prospect’ Bae Joon-ho joins Stoke City—4-year deal, key to EPL promotion
South Korean soccer prospect Bae Jun-ho, 20, has joined English Football League (EFL) Championship side Stoke City.
“Stoke City have completed the signing of midfielder Bae Jun-ho from Daejeon Hana Citizen of the South Korean K League. The contract is for four years and the transfer fee is undisclosed.”
Bae said: “I’ve always wanted to play in England and now my dream has come true. “I’ve always wanted to play in England and now my dream has come true, but it’s just the beginning and I hope to have a successful career at Stoke. Moving to England is about adapting to a new environment, both on and off the pitch. I hope to settle in as quickly as possible and help the team with my performances.”
Bae was highly touted as the next big thing in Korean soccer. He made his professional debut for Daejeon in 2022, wearing the number 33 shirt, and scored one goal in 10 appearances. In his first season, he played between the B team and the first team, with the B team getting more opportunities. This season, he made 17 appearances and scored two goals.
Bae Jun-ho made a name for himself at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 in Argentina this past May with a standout performance. After being sidelined by injury during the group stage, Bae burst onto the scene as South Korea advanced to the round of 16.
In the Round of 16 against Ecuador, he scored a goal and an assist to help South Korea reach the quarterfinals. While he had a solid quarterfinal performance, he was at his best against Italy in the quarterfinals. Bae used his excellent dribbling ability to get past the Italian defense. Two or three people tried to stop him, but they couldn’t without committing a foul. Bae Jun-ho drew several fouls and wreaked havoc on the Italian defense.
Although South Korea lost 1-2 to Italy and failed to reach the final, many foreign media outlets heaped praise on the Korean No. 10.
With his performance on the world stage, Bae Jun-ho was expected to move to Europe this summer. Several clubs showed interest, but no concrete offers were made, and Stoke were the favorites to sign Bae, who preferred to move to England.
Ricky Martin, Technical Director at Stoke, said: “Junho Bae is an emerging talent who caught the attention of our scouting team at the U-20 World Cup. We were looking to bring in players from outside of England and Europe and have been following his performances in the K League this season.” 토토사이트
“Bae has shown his technical ability on the pitch and will be a great fit for us. He’s coming to a new environment and will need to adjust, but we’re excited about his talent. Once he gets used to the club and the English game, I think he will improve.”
After four games, Stoke are currently 10th in the Championship with two wins and two losses. The Championship is a two-tiered system with direct promotion for 1-2 and playoffs for 3-6. Stoke are still in the Championship after being relegated in the 2017-18 season. Can Bae Jun-ho be the key to Stoke’s promotion?