The news is that Arsenal and Liverpool are aiming for Hwang Hee-chan. It is a moment when Hwang Hee-chan’s decision to renew his contract feels unfortunate.
“According to our information, Tottenham and Liverpool are keeping an eye on Hwang Hee-chan, a hot star player,” the British Football Insider said on the 1st (Korea time). “The two clubs are interested in taking a 27-year-old player this summer.” Scouts were impressed by Hwang Hee-chan’s performance after he took the role of striker this season. Hwang Hee-chan can play as a left and right winger and also play in the center.”
“Hwang Hee-chan is scoring 11 goals in 21 games this season,” he said. “He was originally contracted until 2026, but recently rewritten the contract to extend the period to 2028.”
According to the media, the two clubs believe that Hwang Hee-chan’s recruitment is necessary not only to strengthen his power but also to expand the club’s business.
This is the second big club transfer this season after Arsenal, who expressed interest just before renewing his contract.
Spain’s As said earlier last month, “Hwang Hee-chan is showing outstanding performance in the Premier League. Arsenal are showing interest in recruiting Hwang. Wolverhampton said it is seeking to renew contract to keep Hwang Hee-chan while blocking teams showing interest in Arsenal and others.”
Global sports media The Athletic also reported that Wolverhampton wants to protect Hwang Hee-chan from Arsenal, saying, “Hwang Hee-chan has become the core of the team this season. The club wants to compensate Hwang Hee-chan with an additional contract.”
As Arsenal, the only undefeated winner in the Premier League, showed interest in Hwang Hee-chan, it was highly likely that other Premier League teams were also watching Hwang Hee-chan’s situation, but it was revealed that Liverpool was actually interested in Hwang Hee-chan.
However, the possibility of transfer seems low because Hwang Hee-chan recently renewed his contract with Wolverhampton. This is because he needs more transfer fees to recruit Hwang Hee-chan compared to before he renewed his contract.
Wolverhampton announced the news of his renewal of his contract with Hwang Hee-chan on the team’s official website on the 22nd of last month, saying, “The club’s highest scorer Hwang Hee-chan signed a new long-term contract until 2028, including a one-year extension option.”
Wolverhampton general manager Matt Hobbs said, “Hwang Hee-chan has not always been a painful voyage since he came to the club, but he has always given everything. Now the fans are truly grateful for what he does on the field, how he scores, and how he is an important part of manager Gary O’Neill’s team. What he does on and off the field is well deserved for appreciation.”
“Hwang Hee-chan’s versatility really helped O’Neill, who was playing across the front line,” Hwang said of Hwang. “He was also helped by O’Neill’s trust in him like Pedro Netu. Both of them were able to play the best soccer since they came here.”
“Hwang Hee-chan is strong like a bull mentally and physically,” Hobbs said. “If you look at his behavior on and off the field and his attitude toward football, you can see how much he is loved by the players.”
“Hwang Hee-chan’s English is really good. He is definitely better than my Korean,” he said. “He regained his confidence after a tough time in Leipzig, and the stronger he became, the more he made on the field.” He repeatedly praised Hwang for his efforts to adapt to the team.
Hwang Hee-chan also said, “I’m really happy to stay here and I want to say thank you to my teammates, staff, family, and fans. I’m really happy to stay in Wolverhampton. I’m enjoying playing here and everything, including life and soccer,” adding, “I’m with very good team members and players, and everything here is amazing. I want to continue to play well and I’m ready to give everything.”
“The nine goals I scored this season make me happy, but I want to thank my teammates, coaching staff and my family. You cannot achieve goals and help alone. I have learned a lot from the coaching staff, so my goals are for the team. I will do my best to help the team,” he said. “I am not satisfied with the new contract. Sometimes I talk about our ambitions with my teammates, but we share the same ambition. I am more responsible for victory and ready to fight for the team.”
Regarding his time at Wolverhampton, Hwang Hee-chan said, “It was a good start and I scored a lot of points, but there were some difficult times as I got injured over the course of a few months,” adding, “Still, my dream was to play in the Premier League, so I tried to do my best every day and it’s a lot of fun. I want to show my fans a lot of good things, and I want to show people good energy.”
As for the future of the club, he said, “We have a good coaching staff and good players. I really want to win every game, and I want to bring many points by showing good games to my fans.”
Hwang Hee-chan said, “I’m so excited. I’m so excited. I’m going to keep doing my best, playing for my team, for my fans, for my family,” vowing, “Hopefully we can enjoy this time, I’m going to do my best every day and we’re going to keep going.”
Hwang Hee-chan will earn the club’s highest salary with the deal. European soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano said, “Wolverhampton and Hwang Hee-chan have agreed on a new deal. With the deal, Hwang will be on the same level as the highest-paid players in the club.”
Until now, Hwang Hee-chan had been earning 30,000 pounds (49.8 million won) a week from Wolverhampton. Pablo Sarabia, one of the highest paid players in his team, is reportedly earning 90,000 pounds (147.62 million won) a week. As Hwang Hee-chan renewed his contract this time, he got paid similar to Sarabia’s.
However, the decision to extend four and a half years until June 2028 is a bit disappointing. Hwang Hee-chan, born in 1996, will be 31 years old by 2028. It is virtually equivalent to Wolverhampton’s life. Since the existing contract was until June 2026, it would have been sufficient if the contract was renewed after watching the performance and situation a little more.
If the interest of big clubs continued, it could have led to negotiations on renewal of contracts in their favor, and transfer to big clubs could have been made close to free agency. From the perspective of big clubs, recruiting middle and lower-ranked teams in their 30s as a free agent is clearly different from bringing them in at a transfer fee. Even if they were to complete their companionship with Wolverhampton because they were less active than they are now, it was possible to have more teams as options as they were free agents.
Rather than moving after entering his 30s, this was also the most appropriate time to move. Now that he has entered his prime enough to be enjoying his best season since entering the Premier League, it was even better to challenge for a big club. However, as he signed an extension contract until 2028, it became virtually impossible to transfer to the FA.
Of course, Hwang Hee-chan made the decision with consideration, so the renewal itself was fully understandable, but the timing of the renewal was somewhat early. In fact, it became even more regrettable when Liverpool’s interest reports emerged immediately after the renewal.
Hwang Hee-chan has not made a big impression at Wolverhampton due to frequent injuries. After being loaned to Wolverhampton from Leipzig, Germany, in the summer of 2021, he transferred with conditions including a complete transfer option. He scored a goal right after the transfer, and in January of the following year, he made a complete transfer with a transfer fee of 14 million pounds (about 22.6 billion won).
Injuries have been a drag. He repeatedly collapsed due to injuries when he had to hit in the main competition. In particular, Hwang Hee-chan, who often injured his hamstring and dribbled explosively, had no choice but to be a big blow to him. Eventually, due to injuries and other reasons last season, he played in 32 games and recorded only four goals and three assists, making it difficult to compete for the starting lineup.
In the end, rumors of release have been circulating since last winter, and they were classified as targets for sale in the summer transfer market. In fact, Leeds United, Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, and Wolfsburg in Germany reportedly hoped to recruit Hwang Hee-chan, and Wolverhampton, whose financial situation worsened, sent several players away, including the transfer of captain Huweng Neves to Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia. In other words, Hwang Hee-chan and Wolverhampton’s company could have already ended last summer.
Fortunately, he has established himself as a key striker in this season’s team. He scored 11 goals and three assists in the first half alone, and successfully scored attack points against strong teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle United.
Recently, even Premier League legends and masters have praised Hwang Hee-chan. This means that Hwang Hee-chan’s skills are unusual.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, who represent the Premier League, also paid attention to Hwang Hee-chan’s skills. Ahead of the Wolverhampton expedition in September, Klopp said, “If you look at the Wolverhampton squad, you can see that there are many good players. Threatening players such as Hwang Hee-chan and Shasha Kalyazic have a big presence even if they don’t start,” referring to Hwang Hee-chan’s presence.
Guardiola drew attention by calling Hwang Hee-chan “The Korean Guy.” In the process of selecting a player to watch out for in Wolverhampton, Guardiola forgot Hwang Hee-chan’s name and said “The Korean Guy.”
Due to Guardiola’s mistake, Hwang Hee-chan was nicknamed the Korean Guy, and when he scored in the main game and toppled Manchester City, he properly engraved the name Hwang Hee-chan on Guardiola.
Gary Lineker, England’s leading soccer celebrity as the top scorer at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, praised Hwang Hee-chan.
“Wolverhampton coach Gary O’Neill is doing better than expected,” Alan Shearer said on his podcast recently. “I had a lot to prove, but I’m still getting a good evaluation.” Lineker also argued that it was right for Wolves to be ranked higher. “Wolves lost nearly five points due to VAR,” he said.
Wolves also gave away a penalty kick in the 10th round of the last league due to the referee’s absurd decision. In the extra time of the first half, a penalty was declared because Hwang Hee-chan seemed to tackle Newcastle’s Fabian Cher in the box, but Hwang Hee-chan’s foot did not reach Cher at all.
Then, there was talk of Hwang Hee-chan and Lineker praised him greatly. It meant that he was at the center of the Wolves upgrade.
Lineker said, “(Winger) Pedro Netu was injured, but Hwang Hee-chan is really good,” adding, “He scored a few goals and scored a few assists. He is good in many areas of attack.”
Michael Owen, the last Ballon d’Or winner in England and a former member of the England national team and Liverpool, praised Hwang Hee-chan when he scored against Burnley, saying, “If Hwang Hee-chan had shot early, it would have been blocked. I was able to open the goal because of a very short wait,” adding, “I love Hwang Hee-chan’s performance in front of the goal. Hwang Hee-chan is always in the right position and his shot hardly misses the mark.”
Hwang Hee-chan will earn the club’s highest salary with the deal. European soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano said, “Wolverhampton and Hwang Hee-chan have agreed on a new deal. With the deal, Hwang will be on the same level as the highest-paid players in the club.”
Until now, Hwang Hee-chan had been earning 30,000 pounds (49.8 million won) a week from Wolverhampton. Pablo Sarabia, one of the highest paid players in his team, is reportedly earning 90,000 pounds (147.62 million won) a week. As Hwang Hee-chan renewed his contract this time, he got paid similar to Sarabia’s.
However, the decision to extend four and a half years until June 2028 is a bit disappointing. Hwang Hee-chan, born in 1996, will be 31 years old by 2028. It is virtually equivalent to Wolverhampton’s life. Since the existing contract was until June 2026, it would have been sufficient if the contract was renewed after watching the performance and situation a little more.
If the interest of big clubs continued, it could have led to negotiations on renewal of contracts in their favor, and transfer to big clubs could have been made close to free agency. From the perspective of big clubs, recruiting middle and lower-ranked teams in their 30s as a free agent is clearly different from bringing them in at a transfer fee. Even if they were to complete their companionship with Wolverhampton because they were less active than they are now, it was possible to have more teams as options as they were free agents.
Rather than moving after entering his 30s, this was also the most appropriate time to move. Now that he has entered his prime enough to be enjoying his best season since entering the Premier League, it was even better to challenge for a big club. However, as he signed an extension contract until 2028, it became virtually impossible to transfer to the FA.
Of course, Hwang Hee-chan made the decision with consideration, so the renewal itself was fully understandable, but the timing of the renewal was somewhat early. In fact, it became even more regrettable when Liverpool’s interest reports emerged immediately after the renewal.
Hwang Hee-chan has not made a big impression at Wolverhampton due to frequent injuries. After being loaned to Wolverhampton from Leipzig, Germany, in the summer of 2021, he transferred with conditions including a complete transfer option. He scored a goal right after the transfer, and in January of the following year, he made a complete transfer with a transfer fee of 14 million pounds (about 22.6 billion won).
Injuries have been a drag. He repeatedly collapsed due to injuries when he had to hit in the main competition. In particular, Hwang Hee-chan, who often injured his hamstring and dribbled explosively, had no choice but to be a big blow to him. Eventually, due to injuries and other reasons last season, he played in 32 games and recorded only four goals and three assists, making it difficult to compete for the starting lineup.
In the end, rumors of release have been circulating since last winter, and they were classified as targets for sale in the summer transfer market. In fact, Leeds United, Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, and Wolfsburg in Germany reportedly hoped to recruit Hwang Hee-chan, and Wolverhampton, whose financial situation worsened, sent several players away, including the transfer of captain Huweng Neves to Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia. In other words, Hwang Hee-chan and Wolverhampton’s company could have already ended last summer.
Fortunately, he has established himself as a key striker in this season’s team. He scored 11 goals and three assists in the first half alone, and successfully scored attack points against strong teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle United.
Recently, even Premier League legends and masters have praised Hwang Hee-chan. This means that Hwang Hee-chan’s skills are unusual.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, who represent the Premier League, also paid attention to Hwang Hee-chan’s skills. Ahead of the Wolverhampton expedition in September, Klopp said, “If you look at the Wolverhampton squad, you can see that there are many good players. Threatening players such as Hwang Hee-chan and Shasha Kalyazic have a big presence even if they don’t start,” referring to Hwang Hee-chan’s presence.
Guardiola drew attention by calling Hwang Hee-chan “The Korean Guy.” In the process of selecting a player to watch out for in Wolverhampton, Guardiola forgot Hwang Hee-chan’s name and said “The Korean Guy.” 헤라카지노
Due to Guardiola’s mistake, Hwang Hee-chan was nicknamed the Korean Guy, and when he scored in the main game and toppled Manchester City, he properly engraved the name Hwang Hee-chan on Guardiola.
Gary Lineker, England’s leading soccer celebrity as the top scorer at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, praised Hwang Hee-chan.
“Wolverhampton coach Gary O’Neill is doing better than expected,” Alan Shearer said on his podcast recently. “I had a lot to prove, but I’m still getting a good evaluation.” Lineker also argued that it was right for Wolves to be ranked higher. “Wolves lost nearly five points due to VAR,” he said.
Wolves also gave away a penalty kick in the 10th round of the last league due to the referee’s absurd decision. In the extra time of the first half, a penalty was declared because Hwang Hee-chan seemed to tackle Newcastle’s Fabian Cher in the box, but Hwang Hee-chan’s foot did not reach Cher at all.
Then, there was talk of Hwang Hee-chan and Lineker praised him greatly. It meant that he was at the center of the Wolves upgrade.
Lineker said, “(Winger) Pedro Netu was injured, but Hwang Hee-chan is really good,” adding, “He scored a few goals and scored a few assists. He is good in many areas of attack.”
Michael Owen, the last Ballon d’Or winner in England and a former member of the England national team and Liverpool, praised Hwang Hee-chan when he scored against Burnley, saying, “If Hwang Hee-chan had shot early, it would have been blocked. I was able to open the goal because of a very short wait,” adding, “I love Hwang Hee-chan’s performance in front of the goal. Hwang Hee-chan is always in the right position and his shot hardly misses the mark.”