Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to re-sign Hwang Hee-chan.
British media outlet ‘The Athletic’ reported on the 19th (KST), “Hwang Hee-chan has become a key player for Wolverhampton. Wolverhampton intend to reward him with a new contract. The negotiations are progressing positively as Hwang also wants to stay at Wolverhampton. He is said to be enjoying playing under Gary O’Neill, so a contract extension is expected.”
Hwang’s position at Wolverhampton was ambiguous at the start of the season. Hwang’s manager, Julen Lopetegui, left the club just before the start of the Premier League (PL) season. Wolverhampton managed just two wins in the first 15 games of last season. They didn’t even win a single game away from home. The club eventually sacked manager Bruno Raz. Wolverhampton went to acting manager Steve Davis until a new manager was found, but nothing changed. Wolverhampton finished the first half at the bottom of the league.
At halftime, Wolverhampton hired Lopetegui. The move paid off for Wolverhampton. Lopetegui made his (PL) debut with a win. He then overhauled the team and led them out of the relegation zone. Lopetegui won nine games, drew four and lost 10 in the second half of the season to finish 13th. He took over from the bottom of the table and led the team to a mid-table finish, making next season even more exciting.
Lopetegui has a decent season ahead of him at Wolverhampton, but the club hasn’t been very active in the transfer market. At the start of the transfer window, only two signings were made, Matt Doherty and Tom King, aside from loan returns. Both were free agents. They then brought in Santiago Bueno, Jean-Luc Belgaard, and Enzo Gonzalez, but they weren’t really first-team options.
Rather, players left the team. The heart of the midfield, Leo Neves, left for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia for €55 million. Raul Jimenez, who was responsible for the front line, also left for Fulham. Lopetegui’s first season in charge of Wolverhampton didn’t go well, and he eventually left the club.
Lopetegui’s departure was not good news for Hwang Hee-chan. Lopetegui gave him a lot of opportunities. Under Lopetegui, Hwang averaged only 29 minutes of playing time. He only had one offensive point and one assist. Under Lopetegui, he averaged 50 minutes and scored three goals. However, with the change of coach, Hwang had to compete for a starting spot again. 무지개토토
Hwang started the season on the bench. He started the season as a substitute in the opening game against Manchester United, and then came on as a substitute in the second round against Brighton. Hwang scored his first goal of the season five minutes after coming off the bench in the second leg. He rattled the net with a header off a corner kick from Pablo Sarabia.