Bucheon FC 1995 January Arrivals 2021

To help strengthen the squad after losing the bulk of their players from the 2020 season, Bucheon have headed into the transfer window with gusto, signing players ready to be used across the pitch, from youth players to guaranteed regular starters. Our Bucheon columnist George Slade looks at all the players that have joined and re-signed for Bucheon in January. 

The majority

At the back - Moon Gwang-seok is Bucheon's new back-up goalkeeper, replacing Lee Young-chang who has departed for K3 League club Cheonan City. Moon has spent the last three seasons at Jeju United, Seongnam, and Gangwon but has yet to make his professional debut. Joining him in helping to keep the goals out are five new defenders for the club. 29 year old centre-back Park Tae-hong will be looking for redemption after a poor two season spell at Gyeongnam in which he made a total of four appearances. Park had similar problems at his previous club Busan IPark, and one has to look back at his time in Daegu circa 2016-17 to see him get regular game time, so he is a bit of a gamble. Park has also spent several years abroad in Japan and Hong Kong. He has been named as one of Bucheon's two vice-captains this season.

Joining him from Gyeongnam is Kang Ui-bin. A raw talent, 22 year old Kang only played three matches last year in what was his debut pro season, Still young, he has yet to find his specialist position. He has been signed alongside fellow 22 year old Yoon Ji-hyuk from Jeonbuk Motors. Yoon spent the second half of the 2019 season on loan at Bucheon. The centre-back has only played three times in his whole career,  so will be looking to continue his development at Bucheon. 

Two far more established defenders to accompany Kang are Park Joon-heui and Kim Jeong-ho. 29 year old Park is versatile across the back, capable of playing at centre-back, right-back, and defensive midfield. He joins from Gwangju, where he spent a single season at the K League 1 side, but the ex-Pohang player's most celebrated spell was at Ansan Greeners 2017-2019, where he captained them to their best ever league finish in their history in 2019. He has been named as one of Bucheon's two vice-captains for this season. A potential partnership at the back could be developed between him and 25 year old centre-back Kim Jeong-ho. Kim has spent his entire career prior to the move at Incheon United, where he made over half of his 48 appearances for the club in the 2019 season. After falling down the pecking order at Incheon due to his indecisiveness, Kim will be hoping that his can be the perfect platform to demonstrate his clear defensive talents.

Midfielders - The most high profile signing for Bucheon is 32 tear old left-winger Han Ji-ho. The busan IPark player has left the club that he made his professional debut with after a 10 year long period of association. The only other clubs that he has played for are Asan Mugunghwa for his national service, and Gyeongnam on loan for the second half of last season. While he has lost his pace with age, Han is a decent crosser who links well with central midfielders, and is able perform in a more defensive role on the wing. The biggest assest of signing him is his leadership abilities, as he should be an astounding influence on the younger players in the dressing room. 

Three such players are 24 year old Park Chang-jun, 23 year old Park Ha-bin, and 22 year old Lee Si-heon. Park Chang-jun is a central midfielder-cum-right-back who is known for his work rate, and was a regular for Gyeongnam last season, his only season at the club. He previously spent two years as a squad rotation player at Gangwon. Attacking midfielder Park Ha-bin has signed from Ulsan Hyundai after two years at the club in which he only made two senior appearances, both in 2019. However, in reserve and youth team matches his powerful shot has been his standout feature, which could lead to him grabbing some goals for Bucheon this season. Lee Si-heon is another attacking midfielder  that has spent the last two years at a big club, namely Jeonbuk Motors. Lee played six times for Jeonbuk last year, and also spent the last six months of 2019 on loan at Bucheon. There he played in 11 matches, so Lee will be hoping to pick up where he left off and continue his development at a club in which he can be more useful.

Forwards - Bucheon's two up front signings come from Jeonnam Dragons. 24 year old Jo Yoon-hyeong plays as an attacking left winger and made a total of 14 appearances for Jeonnam in his two years at the club. 23 year old centre forward Chu Jung-ho has earned more playing experience, featuring in 10 matches in 2019 (assisting once) and 20 matches in 2020 (scoring once and assisting three goals). As goals were Bucheon's weak point last season, Jo and Chu will need to have the season of their lives if they are to bolster Bucheon's atacking threat.

U22 Signings

18 year-old midfielder Lee Dong-geon has been promoted to the senior team from the Bucheon U18 team, and 19 year-old left-back Cho Hyun-taek has moved to Bucheon from Ulsan Hyundai. Neither have made their professional debut and will be looking to compete for the coveted U22 player spot in the first team in order to accelerate their development.


[READ: Bucheon FC 1995 January Departures 2021]

On Loan

Due to number one goalkeeper Choi Chul-won taking part in his national service at Gimcheon Sangju, Bucheon used the services of loanee Choi Bong-jin last year. With Choi Bong-jin returning to Gwangju and Choi Chul-won not coming back to Bucheon until the second half of this season, Bucheon have signed Seongnam goalkeeper Jeon Jong-hyeok on a season long loan. 24 year-old Jeon has made a total of 22 professional appearances since 2018 and has performed well on occasion in K League 1.

18 year-old central midfielder Oh Jae-hyeok is Bucheon's other loan signing, joining for the season from Pohang Steelers. Not much is known about Oh as he has yet to make a professional appearance, and it is unknown whether he will be able to break into the first team much at all this season.

Contract Renewals

Bucheon have managed to secure their midfield for the upcoming season, with 29 year-old Cho Soo-chul leading the way by signing a new three-year deal. Cho has been a first-team regular since joining the club for the 2017 season, and has been named club captain for the upcoming season. A player who has spent a year longer at the club, 30 year-old defensive midfielder Cho Beom-seok, has also opted extend his stay at the Gyeonggi side, after a personally successful 2020 campaign saw him adapt well as a makeshift centre-back. Fellow defensive midfielder, 24 year-old Song Hong-min, will remain at the club in which he made his professional debut back in 2018. After spending three seasons as a squad player, Song will be hoping that this can be the year in which he transitions into a first team regular. 

28 year-old left midfielder Jang Hyun-soo wants to see his progress at Bucheon continue, after his career originally stalled at first club Suwon Samsung Bluewings. His first season at Bucheon in 2019 saw him play 23 league matches, almost as many as the the rest of his career combined. In 2020 he played the same number of matches, but in a shortened season, making him one of Bucheon's star players. Jang has pledged his allegiance to the club, and will provide a lot of attacking and defensive support up and down the left-wing.

Choe Byeong-chan has changed from being an on loan player to a permanent signing. The 24 year old attacking midfielder joined Bucheon from Seongnam initially temporarily in the summer in order to bolster Bucheon's weak attack, and impressed with a goal and an assist in 12 matches. Now looking ahead to a full season at Bucheon, Choe will be aiming to beat his personal season best of five goals and two assists, which he achieved in his debut pro season with Seongnam in the K League 2 in 2018.