Celtic have done a great job when it comes to identifying the right players for Ange Postecoglou’s system of football and then getting deals over the line for them as soon as possible. That is in direct contrast to how they often tended to let transfer sagas drag on in the past. As a result, we saw them get three deals done before the January window had even opened this time around.
The one transfer saga that did drag on though was the one involving Cho Gue-sung. The South Korean striker had impressed immensely at the World Cup and had been linked with a move to Celtic for weeks.
But ultimately, it did not work out and Cho decided to stay on at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. On the other hand, Celtic ended up signing his South Korean national teammate, Oh Hyeon-gyu, who has made a lively start to life at Parkhead.
As reported by Football Scotland, veteran defender Park Joo-ho feels that turning down a move to Europe was the wrong choice on the part of Cho, as he told Korean outlet Sisa:
"“If you experience (Europe) when you have a chance to go out, then way you see the way football changes. When the opportunity comes, you must go out unconditionally.“It’s better to go in the summer but it’s not easy to adapt right away without having a chance to exercise with that teammate. Still, it is difficult to come up with another proposal from the same team.”"
£3 million star told he might regret rejecting Celtic move in January
Rumours even suggested that Celtic had submitted an offer for Cho of around £3 million plus a sell-on fee to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. But ultimately, the striker decided to remain at his current club till the summer before making a move to Europe.
Things can change very fast in football though. There was believed to be quite a bit of interest in the signature of Cho this January, especially after the World Cup that he had. But that might drop in six months time.
The chance to join a club like Celtic does not come around often. Let’s see what the future holds for Cho. On the other hand, fans will be hoping that Oh turns out to be just as good as him if not better.