Why Lee Jae-sung’s move to join Holstein Kiel may be better than it sounds

by Chris Rodger, Korea Correspondent

Lee Jae-sung, K-League’s Most Valuable Player for 2017, has agreed a surprise move to German second-tier outfit Holstein Kiel.

Lee has enjoyed great success in the last four years with Jeonbuk Hyundai, winning three K-League titles as well as the AFC Asian Champions League in 2016. Having won all there is to win with Jeonbuk and established himself in the Korean national team, Lee has long been the subject of speculation linking him with a move to one of Europe’s top leagues.

A creative, dynamic midfielder full of running and never shirking a tackle, Lee demonstrates a good eye for a pass. He is a versatile midfielder, which is both a blessing and a curse since it has made it more difficult for him to nail down one single specialist position.

Due to his undoubted talent, many in Korea have reacted with surprise and disappointment to the announcement of Lee’s imminent move to the Bundesliga 2. However, scratching the surface shows that this could turn out to be a clever move.

Despite not being a well-known club globally, Kiel look to be a club on the up. They were promoted from Germany’s third tier in 2017 and came very close to making it back-to-back promotions in last season’s Bundesliga 2. Kiel finished only four points shy of the automatic promotions places and went on to lose to Wolfsburg over two legs in the top flight’s relegation play-off.

Moving to the Bundesliga 2 will allow Lee to adjust to European football out of the spotlight while playing for a side which will be expecting to win more than they lose, as opposed to potentially ending up on the bench at a top-flight side should his transition to a new style of play take time.

Another good season could see Kiel competing in the German top flight in a year’s time, by which time Lee would have a season of football in Germany under his belt and would be better equipped to shine at the highest level. Even if Kiel fail to win promotion, Lee has the chance to catch the eye in a good league and potentially win a move elsewhere.

Lee is at a good age to go abroad and succeed and has picked up all the experience necessary to prepare him for the move. As well as being a continental champion at club level, Lee has appeared at the World Cup and, crucially, was part of South Korea’s victorious 2014 Asian Games squad, earning him exemption from military service.

It has long been agreed that Lee is ready for the move, and Kiel could be the right platform for him to make the transition to European football in a way that benefits the player most in the long term.