Incheon United, who has been demoted, has made a winning move for promotion.
An official familiar with the K-League transfer market said "Incheon has agreed to recruit Barlow, a striker who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai. Barlow plans to enter the country at the end of this month and finalize the details.' As a result, Incheon will build the strongest K-League 2 'triangular formation' from Mugosa-Germo to Barlow.
Incheon remained at the bottom of the last season and suffered its first-ever relegation. Coach Yoon Jung-hwan, who led Gangwon FC to the runner-up in the 2024 season, was brought in with the goal of being promoted immediately. Although the emergency innovation committee's misstep delayed the power reinforcement work, it recruited Lee Joo-yong, a fullback from the national team, Lee Dong-ryul, who stands out for his speed, and Kim Myung-soon and Park Ho-min, who were recognized for their prowess in K League 2.
It was a foreign player who put the most effort into it. Incheon, which left Mugosa, Gerso and Delbridge, searched for a certain player to pair with them. Barlow is on the radar.
Barlow is a proven player. Growing up in Sweden, Barlow joined the English Premier League in 2014 for a fee of 1.89 million euros (about 2.6 billion won) after going through IFK Norsheping, Barberry BolS and 외stersundFK. Barlow, wearing a Swansea City jersey, played in 55 games (2 goals - 7 assists) from the 2016-2017 season. I shared a team with Ki Sung-yueng, who played for Swansea at the time. In May 2016, the scene where Ki Sung-yueng finished Barlow's cross with a volley shot remains strong for domestic fans.
Barlow then moved to Reading and recorded 14 goals and 12 assists in 90 games through the first half of the 2019-2020 season. Barlow, who played the main role in Denizlispor in Turkiye, stepped on the K-League stage through the transfer market in the summer of 2020. Barlow, wearing a Jeonbuk uniform, contributed to Jeonbuk's K League 1 and FA Cup (currently the Korea Cup) double with a different level of performance.
In the 2021 season, it slowed down a little due to overlapping family events, but in the 2022 season, he performed very well with 'Ace'. He recorded 17 goals and 7 assists in 45 games, including the league, the FA Cup, and the Asian Champions League, including seven consecutive offensive points. He saved Jeonbuk, which was on the verge of becoming a military officer, to win the FA Cup.
In the winter of 2023, Barlow left Jeonbuk. He moved to Al Ahli in the Saudi second division, which offered a huge amount of money. Barlow showed good performance in the early stages, but Al Ahli lost his seat by recruiting top stars such as Riyad Mahrez and Alang Saint-Maximin. In the end, he moved to Chivaspor on loan, and this season, he built a new nest under the control of the Saudi first division. After leaving Jeonbuk, Barlow steadily connected with the K-League.
There was a variable under pressure. Qualified as FA due to unpaid wages. Incheon, which confirmed this fact, did not miss the opportunity. Coach Yoon strongly asked Incheon to recruit Barlow, and Incheon quickly contacted him and had a big fish. Barlow also showed a strong will to go to Korea. Barlow will join Incheon's second training camp after completing the contract.
Incheon is ready for promotion by adding Barlow, who has even adapted to the K-League stage. Mugosa-Germo-Barlow and foreign trio are the best, including K League 1. Incheon plans to close the transfer market by recruiting offensive midfielders for the remaining foreign quarters.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
