Will
another ‘national club’ be born?
Lee Kang-in is a key midfielder for the Republic of Korea national team and Mallorca. During his teenage years he moved on to Valencia where he went through youth and made his professional debut in 2018 at the age of 17. He grew steadily and left a mark, but he could not play in the game and eventually transferred to Mallorca in 2021 to play an active role.
In his first season, he played mainly as a substitute member. However, he began to increase his playing time in the second half. In the second half of the season when coach Javier Aguire took over, Mallorca narrowly escaped relegation, and Lee Kang-in slowly began to show his sharp left-footed kicking power. Lee Kang-in scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 30 appearances in La Liga in the 2021-22 season.
And in the 2022-23 season, La Liga and Europe are showing their presence in earnest. Coach Aguirre put Lee Kang-in in the front line or attacking midfielder with Vedat Muriki in earnest and maximized his offensive talent. Lee Kang-in, who recorded 2 goals and 4 assists in 16 La Liga games this season, is ranked first in creating big chances in La Liga with a total of 8 times.
He was also very active in the World Cup. In this Qatar World Cup, Lee Kang-in also recorded help to save Korea. As soon as he came in as a substitute in the group stage match against Ghana in the second game of Group H, Lee Kang-in posted a ‘courier’ cross to Cho Kyu-seong and immediately recorded two assists.
His recent performances in La Liga and the national team have garnered attention from other clubs. On the 6th, Mateo Moreto of Spanish media ‘Lelebo’ said, “Lee Kang-in has a 90% chance of leaving Mallorca. His destination is the Premier League or the Netherlands.”
Then, the interest of specific clubs continues. Recently, Aston Villa is the most active team in recruiting Lee Kang-in. Moreto continued, “Aston Villa wants to sign Lee Kang-in for 15 million pounds (approximately 22.8 billion won) in the January winter transfer market,” and also presented a specific amount.
Aston Villa, which shows a specific interest in Lee Kang-in, is a team with tradition and history in the Premier League. Aston Villa, which has won the Premier League (including the previous Football League) a total of seven times, was a club aiming for the top ranks to the extent of consistently participating in European competitions under manager Martin O’Neill in the early 2000s, but fell to the relegation zone in the 2010s and suffered a decline. For three seasons from the 2016-17 season, they also experienced the second division championship. 토토
But lately, it’s looking for a rebound. At the beginning of this season, he started with coach Steven Gerrard, but was sacked due to poor performance. After that, coach Unai Emery, who won the Europa League (UEL) and reached the semifinals of the Champions League (UCL), took over at Villarreal. is recording
If Lee Kang-in transfers to Aston Villa, another ‘national club’ can be born. Just as clubs such as Park Ji-sung’s Manchester United, Son Heung-min’s Tottenham Hotspur, and Hwang Hee-chan’s team Wolverhampton were very popular in Korea, Aston Villa also has sufficient potential.
Local fans also want to recruit Lee Kang-in. When Aston Villa’s interest in Lee Kang-in was reported on the 6th, Aston Villa’s official social media comments said, “Put up LEE recruiting official right away”, “We want Lee Kang-in”, “He is currently #1 in creating big chances in La Liga. His left foot Silver is gold”, “At first I thought he was a Barcelona player. His skills are good and he will be a good signing for Aston Villa”, etc. Public opinion that wants Lee Kang-in is the main one. Attention is focusing on whether we can see another Korean player playing in the Premier League.