I want to play against Wolverhampton in the European club competition.”
It was practically his own personal statement. In an interview published on the club’s website on July 7 (KST), Hwang was asked about his goals for next season and replied, “Wolverhampton has the ability to fight for the best. I want to achieve something with Wolverhampton,” and “I want to play in the European club competition. Our goals should be high.” He replied. It was a declaration of ‘stay’.
Hwang has been the subject of interest from several clubs recently. Wolverhampton, who were in the relegation zone, made a big splurge in the January transfer market to keep him. Financial Fair Play regulations forced them to sell some players. This left manager Julen Lopetegui in a panic. Hwang Hee-chan was one of those players who was rumored to be on the move. Newcastle, who just qualified for the Champions League, were interested in him. AS Roma, led by Jose Mourinho, also wanted to sign him.
However, Hwang Hee-chan has expressed his desire to challenge with Wolverhampton next season, and the transfer rumors are expected to be put to rest.
“Our goal for next season is to get to the top. We have a lot of good players, and we can achieve more than what we showed (this season).”
Wolverhampton had a difficult season this season. They fell into the relegation zone early on. They won just one, drew three, and lost four of their opening eight games, dropping to 18th place. The club sacked manager Bruno Raz and brought in Julen Lopetegui, formerly of the Spanish national team, Real Madrid, and Sevilla, as a firebrand. After overhauling their lineup since November of last year, Wolverhampton climbed out of the relegation zone earlier this year and then completely avoided relegation at the end of the season. Wolverhampton finished the season in 13th place.
“We had a bad start to the season,” says Hwang. We lost a lot in the first 10 games, so we tried to bounce back,” said Hwang. “After the World Cup break, we played well. We played as we wanted and stayed in the EPL,” he recalls. “I think we are a team that can compete in the first division. “We have a lot of good players,” he said. “We spent time not only training but also bonding as a team, and that’s why we rebounded so well.
It’s been an eventful season for Hwang personally. In his second season in a Wolverhampton shirt, Hwang struggled with frequent hamstring injuries. After scoring five goals in 30 regular season games in his debut season, Hwang has scored three goals in 27 appearances this season. With one goal in the FA Cup, Hwang has four goals in all competitions. He has three assists, one in the regular season and two in the League Cup 먹튀검증.
After scoring the game-winning goal against Portugal to secure a place in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, Hwang Hee-chan was plagued by injury and never quite lived up to expectations. Luckily, he bounced back at the end of the season. Hwang scored the season-tying goal against Newcastle in March, followed by a second goal against Brentford in April on his return from injury. As he continued to gain momentum, Hwang scored his third goal of the season against Everton in May. Lopetegui’s recall raised expectations for the following season. Hwang continued to stay with Wolverhampton and set his sights higher.
After returning home on May 29, Hwang is preparing to be called up for the June A-match. After missing the March A-match due to injury, Hwang is expected to make a strong impression on head coach Jürgen Klinsmann. After the A-Match, Hwang will have a “busy summer,” as his club Wolverhampton is scheduled to visit Korea in late July.