Hwang Hee-chan will leave the EPL...Completion of personal agreement with prestigious French city of Marseille

Jul 16, 2024

France's prestigious Marseille is paying serious attention to Hwang Hee-chan this summer. Marseille's first offer was rejected, and Wolverhampton had no intention of sending Hwang Hee-chan. However, as Hwang Hee-chan and Marseille reach a personal agreement, the transfer rumor is entering a new phase. Photo =Santi-Auna SNS

This is shocking news. It is news that Hwang Hee-chan wants to leave the English Premier League (EPL) and join the French League 1.

France's Foot Mercato reported on the 15th (Korea time) 'Hwang Hee-chan, who is receiving attention from Olain Peak Marseille, which is still negotiating with Wolverhampton, announced his desire to join Marseille through his agent'

Then 'Marceille is probably the most active French club early in the summer transfer market. After bringing in Roberto de Gervi, Marseille began looking at the players he would recruit to strengthen his squad. Now it's the offensive sector,' he said, adding that he is seeking to recruit Hwang Hee-chan, while several players are under consideration.

Foot Mercato is selling Iliman Ndiaye to Everton and, depending on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future situation, Sa Marseille is targeting several players in the attacking division. Recently, Marseille has been interested in Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan had a good season in the EPL, scoring 12 goals and three assists in 29 games. It was enough to tempt Marseille chairman Pablo Longoria and his men,' he said, explaining the transfer theory in detail.

The news that Marseille is interested in Hwang Hee-chan was on the 4th. L'Equipe, one of the leading French media, said 'Korean national striker Hwang Hee-chan is on the list of strikers recognized by Marseille's management and verified by coach De Zerby. He is a player who has been unanimously agreed to recruit. Hwang Hee-chan, who scored 12 league goals last season for Wolverhampton, is one of the players who can help Marseille solve its dynamic problems in attack, signaling for the first time that Marseille will seek to recruit Hwang Hee-chan.

Marseille's stance on recruiting Hwang Hee-chan was really sincere. According to L'Equipe, Marseille's leadership has been watching Hwang Hee-chan since 2020. At that time, there was also contact between the club and the player.

L'Equipe said 'Longoria chairman had already approached Hwang Hee-chan in 2020. Director De Gerby also likes Hwang Hee-chan's intense style. We verified him through a face-off at Brighton. Both the club and the manager appreciated Hwang Hee-chan and said they are seeking to recruit him.

At that time, L'Equipe was seeking to recruit Hwang Hee-chan. Specific negotiations did not begin. The above media analyzed that it would not be easy to separate Hwang Hee-chan from the EPL, which is still seeking room for salary adjustment and liquidity, saying, "'Maseu has not yet started negotiations between clubs.'"

It was something that Marseille already knew. Nevertheless, Marseille planned to knock on the door first, regardless of whether Hwang Hee-chan was successful in recruiting him. L'Equipe said 'Marceille's leaders are looking for a more favorable opportunity to recruit this type of profile that they do not currently have with the club in the transfer window this summer. Marseille is ready to jump into recruitment of Hwang Hee-chan, he said.

After reports of interest in Hwang Hee-chan from Marseille came out, he took a very active stance in recruiting Mason Greenwood, who was put on the release list due to controversy over his privacy at Manchester United. As a result, rumors of Hwang Hee-chan's recruitment seemed to end even simple rumors.

But Marseille really wanted to sign Hwang Hee-chan. The posture was sincere, too. The first offer from Marseille was 25 million euros (about 37.7 billion won). Marseille is not a rich club. The club's highest transfer fee is only 32 million euros (about 48.3 billion won). 25 million euros was a considerable amount for Marseille, which could rank third in the club's all-time transfer fee.

Just as Marseille meant it to Hwang Hee-chan, so did Wolverhampton. I didn't think for a second about Marseille's proposal. Sky Sports in the U.K. on the 12th 'Wolverhampton rejected Marseille's offer for Hwang Hee-chan. Wolverhampton considers Hwang Hee-chan an unsaleable resource this summer, it reported.

Reporter Liam Keane, who works for Express and Star UK and is familiar with Wolverhampton news, also rejected the offer sent by Marseille to recruit Hwang Hee-chan. It was an offer worth 25 million euros, but Wolverhampton was adamant it would not sell Hwang Hee-chan," he said. Also "Wolverhampton warned not to covet Hwang Hee-chan. Wolverhampton has made the decision to keep the player in the fold.

As Wolverhampton showed a stubborn attitude to protect Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang Hee-chan's transfer to Marseille was expected to end as it is.

There's a big twist here. News broke that Hwang Hee-chan wanted to transfer to Marseille and that he had already reached a personal agreement with Marseille. Foot Mercato proposed €20 million (about KRW 30.2 billion) for Marseille and moved to recruit Hwang Hee-chan. Wolverhampton refused, but negotiations between the two clubs continue.

In addition, Hwang Hee-chan, who played for RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and Hamburg for several seasons, has made it clear to management that he wants to join Marseille. Hwang Hee-chan agreed to a contract with Marseille. "I want to play in Ligue 1 and that's a credit to Marseilles' explained that Hwang Hee-chan and Marseille have reached an agreement on personal terms.

If Hwang Hee-chan made up his mind to leave the EPL, it would be a real surprise. It is not an exaggeration to say that he had the best season of his career since moving to the EPL last season. Wolverhampton immediately offered Hwang Hee-chan a contract renewal offer. Wolverhampton handed Hwang Hee-chan the club's highest level of treatment with a long-term contract. Hwang Hee-chan was also willing to accept it, looking like he would continue his career at Wolverhampton for a long time.

However, Hwang Hee-chan may have been attracted to new challenges and the possibility of advancing to the European competition. Wolverhampton, who has been tightening recently, survived well last season, but it is not strange when they are relegated.

In contrast, Marseille will have to focus on the league right after the transfer, but it is a team that can play in the European competition at any time. The 2023-2024 season was the first time that it was pushed out of fifth place after a shocking 13th place in the league in the 2015-2016 season. In the meantime, he went on to compete in Europe.

If you look at the league level alone, of course, EPL is higher than League 1, but it is true that there is a wider environment to challenge in Marseille. Given that Hwang Hee-chan was born in 1996 and is no longer young, it may be his last chance to take on such a new challenge.

But Wolverhampton's position remains unchanged. Express and Star reporter Keane also said on the 15th that `Wolverhampton will not sell Hwang Hee-chan this summer. No second offer from Marseille after initial €25m offer rejected," he said.

Even if Hwang Hee-chan wants to go to Marseille, and Marseille wants Hwang Hee-chan, the transfer cannot take place unless Wolverhampton changes his mind.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com