Transfer News: Trio Looking to Make an Impact in Islanders' Charge for Promotion

The winter transfer window was a very busy time for Jeju Untied, as a host of new faces came to the island.  The club has taken itself in a different direction following the appointment of former Seongnam FC manager Nam Ki-il to the helm of the K League's oldest club.  What has happened since his arrival has been nothing short of remarkable.  Three of the new players to join the squad are forward Joo Min-kyu, who arrived from Ulsan following the Horangi's signing of Bjorn Johnsen.  Yun Bo-sang finished his military service with Sangju Sangmu last season and will compete for minutes between the sticks with Oh Seung-hoon, while Jo Sung-joon, who played for Nam at Seongnam last season also joins the fold.  KLU's Branko Belan has a closer look at the new additions.

Joo Min-kyu

Joo will look to rediscover his scoring form from his military spell at Sangju in 2017.  Image courtesy of Jeju United Facebook.

The 29 year old, a classic center forward, came to Jeju for a fee of 430,000 euros.  His height makes him a good target in the box, but he must work on the physicality of his play to deal with more experienced defenders.  One of his better assets is that he is capable of playing with both feet.

Last season while at Ulsan, he played in 23 matches, scoring four goals and adding three assists.  That included a one goal, one assist performance against his new club in a 5-0 victory for the Horangi last August.  In 2017, he lit K League 1 alight while at Sangju Sangmu with 17 goals and seven assists, so the goal-scoring potential is certainly there.  This was further demonstrated earlier in his career while at Seoul E-Land, where he had better than a goal a game clip with 39 in 71 appearances for the Leopards in 2015 and 2016.

Nam Ki-il has high expectations.

"Joo Min-kyu is a versatile striker.  With his addition, our attack options have become more diverse.  We will do everything to maximize the attacking power with the players that are already here," he said at the time Joo made the switch.

Joo is also looking forward to a new start.

"I am happy to join Jeju.  I will do my best to help the team win promotion to the first division," he concluded.

With the arrival of Eder Lima from Seongnam FC, however, he will be in direct competition for minutes in the first eleven.

[READ: Transfer Profile: Eder Lima]

Yun Bo-sang

Yun Bo-sang was a regular with Sangju during his time there, and will add depth in net for the islanders.  Image courtesy of Jeju United Facebook.

Fresh from his military stint with Sangju Sangmu last season, the 26 year old goalkeeper originally from Suwon, signed with the islanders for an undisclosed fee, although his current market value is listed at 550,000 euros according to Transfermarkt.  

He honed his goalkeeping skills while completing his service, and is known for his quick reflexes and overall shot stopping ability.  He covers the net well from post to post and will be in direct competition with Oh Seung-hoon, who came over from Ulsan Hyundai last season and finished 2019 as the islanders' number one 'keeper.  The addition of Yun was a necessary one, as Lee Chang-keun is now with Sangju for the beginning of his service, so Jeju needed to add depth between the sticks in order to mount a title challenge to get back to the top division.

In two starts versus Jeju last season, the military club won both times, the first being a 3-2 success at the end of April, and the second being a convincing 4-1 thrashing in mid-August, consequently coming one week after the Tangerines had shipped five to Ulsan the previous week.

He played regularly while at Gwangju, with back to back seasons of over twenty appearances for the club, amassing thirteen clean sheets over that span, and in 2018, started seven times with three clean sheets before making the move to do his military duty.  With Sangju, he was a regular number one, and will be counted on to produce similar numbers in 2020 in comparison to previous years.

Yun looks forward to another opportunity to play for his former manager.

"I am happy to see Nam Ki-il again.  Jeju is a team which has a clear goal of winning promotion to the first division, and I will do my best to quickly blend well with the rest of the team," he said.

Jo Sung-joon

Jo Sung-joon did not play much under Nam Ki-il at Seongnam last season, but will be looking for more opportunities once the new campaign commences.  Image courtesy of Jeju United Facebook.

Jo Sung-joon did not see a lot of playing time with Seongnam FC last season, as he only played in fourteen matches, scoring and assisting once.  In fact, he did not factor into Nam Ki-il's plans much as he was not in the squad since the end of June.

It is not to say that he can't be a player of great value for the islanders, however, as he has championship experience as a member of Asan Mugunghwa's 2018 K League 2 title-winning side which ultimately did not gain automatic promotion to the top flight because of internal issues at the club.

A player who is capable of filling several roles in attack, his primary role is as a right winger, but he is able to play on the left as well.  He has even been used as a center forward on occasion, but with the depth up top, it shouldn't even come into consideration barring a rash of injuries at some point during the campaign.  He has extensive K League 2 experience as well, owing to previous stints with Gwangju FC and FC Anyang earlier in his career.

He looks forward to a new chapter on the island, but realizes the level of competition for playing time will be high.

"I am happy to be re-united with Nam Ki-il.  First of all, there are many good players in Jeju.  It is important to work hard and develop better through competition with the rest of the team.  The goal for everyone is the same, and that is being a first division club.  I want to be the type of player who brings joy to the fans," he finished.