Busan Loses Two Key Players

Both were virtually expected, but I had still held onto hope they would stay. Forward Lee Jeong-hyeob is off to Ulsan while midfielder Joo Se-jong is heading to Seoul. Both deals are swaps rather than just payment, so Busan is getting a couple players in return. From Ulsan, Busan will get U23 midfielder Lee Yeong-jae, and from Seoul forward Kim Hyun-sung. The deal with Ulsan involving Lee Jeong-hyeob and Lee Yeong-jae is also a one-year loan swap.

Lee Jeong-hyeob to Ulsan, Lee Yeong-jae to Busan (1-year loan)

I would have liked to see Lee Jeong-hyeob remain in Busan, if only for fans to have a nationally recognized forward on the team and a reason to come to games. Also, it's always pleasing to have Busan youth players in the senior squad. However, given the offseason moves and circumstances this deal is a decent one.

Busan has Ko Gyeong-min already who has done well in the Challenge, and will almost definitely sign former Gyeongnam forward Milos Stojanovic in the coming days. Those two should be enough to make up for the gap left by Lee Jeong-hyeob next season, at least in terms of goals. In theory, if Busan can bounce back straight away then they'll get Lee Jeong-hyeob back for the Classic and in better shape after a year playing at that level.

The move also sees Busan get a boost in the midfield area with the arrival of U-23 international Lee Yeong-jae. Lee Yeong-jae offers a bit of flexibility in that he can play either a more central midfield role or slightly wider. He would also seem to fit in well with Choi Young-joon's preferred 4-3-3 as one of the outer central midfielders (possibily rotating with Kim Jin-kyu). Lee Yeong-jae made 10 appearances for Ulsan in his debut season, scoring once and notching two assists.

Joo Se-jong to Seoul, Kim Hyun-sung to Busan

This deal I'm decidely less pleased about. It's been long rumored/reported that Joo Se-jong would leave. Personally I'm loathe to see him in an FC Seoul kit, and to get Kim Hyun-sung seems a huge waste. To send a younger player like Joo who has done well in Classic, we should have at least pushed for a better player. Yun Ju-tae, Park Yong-woo, Shim Sang-min someone along those lines. This one feels like Busan felt that they just couldn't hold onto him and were desperate to get someone in return.

However, this deal is not officially official yet, so perhaps the club will come to their senses and snag a better player in the swap.