Baek Seung-ho 27 will challenge the European stage for the first time in three years.

"According to reports in Asia, Birmingham City of the English Championship minor league is completing its second recruitment for the winter transfer market. Baek will join the team. Baek will head to Birmingham even though he has received offers from the German Bundesliga, the French Ligue 1, and the Sunderland," the British media Birmingham World reported on Monday.

"Baek can play as a central and offensive midfielder. He is a former FC Barcelona academy and also played for Parallada and Girona. He played for Darmstadt 98 in Germany's second division from 2019 to 2021, and from 2021 he headed to Jeonbuk Hyundai in Korea to serve in the military," the media said.

Baek Seung-ho, whose contract with Jeonbuk recently ended, has declared his re-challenge to the European leagues. "Birmingham World" announced that Baek has become a free agent. "He will sign a two-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham. He played 106 games for Jeonbuk and scored 11 goals and eight assists. He can head to another club without having to pay transfer fee."

Baek also highlighted his performances at major championships. "Baek played in 15 matches as a member of the Korean national team. He scored a goal in a match against Brazil in the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. He was also the captain of the Asian Games team that won the gold medal," the media said.

Rumors of a recent transfer have been analyzed in detail. "Birmingham World" reportedly said that Baek Seung-ho was involved in a transfer to Shandong Province by China earlier this month. However, he dismissed the rumor. "He was able to return to Europe freely after being exempted from military service," he said. "His transfer to Birmingham will be an opportunity to re-enter the Korean national team led by Jürgen Klinsmann 59.

On the same day, "The Real EFL," which delivers the Championship news, also said, "Birmingham is expecting to strengthen its squad before the January transfer window under the new manager Tony Mowbray. Wayne Rooney left the team after only three games out of 15 matches. Mowbray, his successor, is getting the team back on track."

"After being appointed as the new coach early this month, Mowbray led Birmingham to four undefeated matches two wins and two draws." "Birmingham is currently eight points higher than the relegation zone," the media said. "Birmingham does not want to fight for the relegation zone in the second half of this season. It is trying to strengthen its midfield by bringing in a central midfielder. There has been a movement to complete the deal for Baek."

The media also paid attention to Paik's childhood. "The Real EFL" reported that Paik is a graduate of Barcelona Academy. He played in 15 matches for the Korean national team and built an outstanding career. He won the 2021 K-League 1 title with Jeonbuk. He also received the Player of the Month award in May last year."

Even in the U.K., Baek Seung-ho's goal in the match against Brazil was recognizable. In a match against Brazil in the round of 16 teams at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Baek scored with a fantastic mid-range shot. His opponent team's goalkeeper was Alisson Becker of Liverpool, the world class goalkeeper. "Baek, who also played for Girona, scored a goal against Brazil at the Qatar World Cup. Korea lost 1-4," media said. "Baek Seung-ho is a free agent. Sunderland was also interested in him. However, after signing with Jeonbuk this month, he held negotiations with Birmingham."

In fact, Baek emerged as a top prospect in the Korean soccer community while spending time with Spain's prestigious Barcelona when he was young. However, while growing up while playing in the game, Baek was blocked from participating due to Barcelona's violation of rules to recruit players. Eventually, Baek left the Barcelona B team in 2017 and moved to CF Peralada, which is equivalent to Girona's second-tier team.

For now, Paik gained experience by playing in Spanish Minor League level matches. He began to increase his sense by playing in matches with famous big clubs B. He played in six official matches at Girona. During the summer of 2019, he left Girona for Darmstadt in Germany's secondary league.

Since moving to Darmstadt, Baek has had more and more time to play in the main league. Baek, who mainly played in the upper ranks, also took on a defensive role after moving to Germany. He began to gain recognition for his capabilities as a multi-center resource.

He also played in the side during the 2020-2021 season. Baek Seung-ho was involved in the development of Darmstadt's offense as an attacking midfielder or winger. During his two seasons at Darmstadt, Baek had three goals and six assists in 45 official games.

Afterwards, Paik moved to Jeonbuk in the K-League 1. He largely sought to resolve the military service issue. He had to play in the K-League to join the Gimcheon Sangmu. Baek Seung-ho, who headed to Europe from a young age, will play in Korea for the first time in his professional career.

Baek Seung-ho played a key role as a midfielder under coach Kim Sang-sik 48. He played a key role in Jeonbuk's rear build-up as it was mostly in the third tier. Accurate right foot kick and vigorous activity became Jeonbuk's main weapon. In the 2021 season, Baek had four goals and one assist in a total of 33 games. His team Jeonbuk won the top spot in the K League 1.

He still played as a key midfielder for Jeonbuk in the second season. Baek will wear No. 8, which is the uniform number of his key midfielders. He further strengthened his position in the team by serving as vice captain. He was sidelined for a while due to an ankle injury during the season, but he was recognized as a notable midfielder in the K-League 1 by consistently playing in matches. Jeonbuk was second to Ulsan HD then Ulsan Hyundai in the K-League.

The third season was not an easy one. Kim Sang-sik resigned voluntarily in May last year, citing poor performance. However, Petrescu took over the helm. Jeonbuk finished the 2023 season in fourth place.

For Baek Seung-ho, however, 2023 was a turning point in his career. As he received special military service exemption with the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, he has increased his hope of re-entering Europe. 토토사이트

The national soccer team of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, led by Hwang Sun-hong, defeated Japan in the gold medal match at the Asian Games held at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in October last year to achieve its third consecutive victory in the tournament. Captain Baek Seung-ho also started the match and played full time to lead Korea's gold medal. Besides Baek Seung-ho, leading players who will lead the future of Korean soccer, including Lee Kang-in Paris Saint-Germain, Ko Young-joon currently FK Partizan, Jung Woo-young VfB Stuttgart, and Hong Hyun-seok KAAHent, will receive special military service exemption. The same was true for Park Jin-seop Jeonbuk and Seol Young-woo Ulsan, who were selected as wild cards along with Baek Seung-ho.

Baek started from the first game of the Asian Games and led Hwang to the midfield. The Korean team cruised from the first game. In the first group match against Kuwait, Hwang garnered a landslide 9-0 victory.

Captain Baek Seung-ho also showed another class. Baek joined Korea's goal celebration with his own free kick goal against Kuwait. Jung Woo-young shined with a hat-trick, and Cho Young-wook reported multiple goals.

In the second match against Thailand, Paik also started as a center midfielder. Paik stayed mostly in the midfield in the tournament, and coordinated Korea's attacks. In this match, he was substituted just 10 minutes into the second half. Korea beat Thailand 4-0 by a large margin.

Korea, which has already been confirmed to pass the group stage, did not overdo it. In the third game, Captain Baek Seung-ho was deployed late in the second half. Baek also scored against Bahrain. He scored with a bold mid-range shot to break into Bahrain's net.

Paik's sophisticated kick ability remained intact even after advancing to the tournament. Playing in the round of 16 match against Kyrgyzstan, Paik played as a penalty kicker and cut the net with an accurate shot. However, he also allowed a run due to a single error in the first half. Korea is heading to the quarterfinals.

Hwang Sun-hong continued his competition to the quarterfinals without much difficulty. In the quarterfinals with China, Baek also led Korea to a 2-0 win, playing full time. In the match against Uzbekistan in the semifinal, he struggled under strong pressure from his opponent, but he defended Korea's midfield through skillful game management. After giving up the first goal to Japan in the final, Korea turned the game around with consecutive goals and won the gold medal.

Having solved the military service issue, which was the biggest challenge in his career, Baek is about to advance to the European leagues. According to local reports, Birmingham will make an official announcement on recruitment soon.