There is a clear direction and reason for Daegu FC’s rapid recruitment of foreigners.메이저놀이터
The biggest change in K-League 1 in the 2023 season is the regulation to expand the retention of foreign players. From this season, the limit on foreign players has been changed to ‘5 players regardless of nationality + 1 nationality of an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member country’. Therefore, each team can have a total of 6 foreign players. However, simultaneous participation is limited to 4 players, including 3 players of no nationality and 1 player from an AFC member country.
Each team was busy scouting for foreign players to make the most of them. Among them, only Daegu recruited all 6 foreign players.
Daegu has added three players to the existing Sejinya (33, Brazil), Daniel Pena (24, Brazil), and Suzuki Keita (25, Japan). First, in December of last year, Edgar Silva (36, Brazil) announced the return. Edgar wore a Daegu uniform in June 2018 and played a big role for five seasons. In March, the contract was terminated due to an Achilles tendon rupture injury, but after rehabilitation, he returned to Daegu.
Also, Serato (29) and Baselus (24) newly joined. Both players are Brazilian nationals. Serato is a central midfielder who boasts a sharp left-footed kick. He is expected to lead the Daegu midfield due to his game coordination and passing ability. Baselus is a striker who can play both on the flanks and in the center and aims to score goals along with Edgar and Cezinha.
Daegu is traditionally a team with a high probability of success for foreign players. There are many players who play in Daegu and continue their careers in other K-League teams. Representatively, there are Lamars (Busan IPark) and Jeka (Pohang Steelers). As much as that, it is unmatched when it comes to recruiting foreign players.
So how did the recruiting process go this season?
The key is ‘right time’ and ‘team style’. An official from Daegu said, “Recruiting foreign players has to be tailored to the player in question, so the time to prepare for each season is different. This season has been going on since the second half of last season.”
The Korea Professional Football Federation announced the expansion of foreign players in October last year. From then on, Daegu started preparing for recruitment and as a result, it filled all the quotas the fastest among 12 teams.
“I paid attention to a player who can maximize Daegu’s strengths. Based on a stable defense, we were looking for a foreign player who could save Daegu football, which raises the tempo when attacking. Focus on the strengths rather than the weaknesses, and evaluate the parts that have your own characteristics. In addition, it was composed of Brazilian players so that Edgar and Cesinya could help them in their lives in Korea,” he explained the background of the recruitment.
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