Whitecaps’ Hwang gets his European wish
Vancouver strikes a deal that will send midfielder to Russian side Rubin Kazan
When Inbeom Hwang said he wanted to be in Europe “as fast as he could” in January — first to journalist Paul Neat — ripples of consternation shot through a Vancouver Whitecaps fan base, his words leaving them stung and betrayed.
The truth hurts. But it was the truth.
And let’s be clear: It wasn’t so much the fact he didn’t want to be in Vancouver, but that his desire to play in Europe was much, much stronger.
Hwang has said as much for years, plainly and clearly, to anyone who would listen. Some did, some didn’t.
The Whitecaps did, finally making official on Friday the move that had been reported for days, that Hwang will join Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan.
The clubs didn’t disclose the transfer fee, but Transfermarkt’s Manuel Veth reported it is around US$2.95 million. The Whitecaps will also retain 25 per cent of any future transfer fee.
It’s a move mutually beneficial for both sides. The Whitecaps, who paid Daejeon Citizen a reported $1.8 million in January of 2019, turn a slight profit and move a player who never quite reached the level that an MLS Designated Player needs to perform at.
Hwang, 24, makes his move to Europe, where he wanted to end up all along.
“He asked for (a move),” said Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster.
“We were not on the market, looking to sell him, although I cannot blame him for that. From the very first moment when I arrived here, he told me his goal is to go to Europe, and I said ‘I’m open to support you in that, but only if we find a solution that satisfies everybody.’
“So (his wishes were) clear, and it became more concrete a few weeks ago. We were open to do (a move), if we can get a remarkable profit out of that business, because it has to make sense for us to let him go in the middle of the season.
“And at the end we had three official offers from three different clubs, and with that offer from Rubin Kazan we could satisfy all three parties … and that was the point where we agreed to let him go.”
The hype around Hwang’s arrival in Vancouver was initially matched by his play on the field, as he showed the same technical mastery he displayed internationally for the Taegeuk Warriors, who rose from 60th to 40th in FIFA’S global rankings in the span of two years.
But the culture shock, travel fatigue, pressure and exhaustion took its toll on the young player, who was living outside of his home country for the first time in his life. And then there was the losing — and there was a lot of it — as the
Caps went 8-16-10 and drilled their way into the bedrock of the Western Conference’s basement.
He voiced his discomfort to members of Vancouver’s South Korean community. His agent sniffed around the possibility of a move as far back as the summer of 2019.
When the Tavern of the Taegeuk Warriors published a detailed piece claiming how his transfer to Vancouver was forced through dubious circumstances, it appeared the sale would come sooner than later.
But following an off-season of rest, and the cultivation of close friendships with left back Ali Adnan and midfielder Russell Teibert, Hwang settled into a more routine life in Vancouver.
Caps coach Marc Dos Santos never questioned his player’s desire to wear the Hoop, even saying his drive and desire to carry the team might have fragmented his impact on the field. But he also said the siren song of Europe might have distracted Hwang from the present.
“And the other part is where he needs to grow, and we had a lot of conversations about this, he needs to focus more on where he is now, and not too much where he wants to be tomorrow,” Dos Santos said.
“He always had that dream of going to Europe and playing in Europe, and we tried to to prepare him the best we could for that. I think the things that Inbeom had problems with, or were more difficult for him, it was to disconnect with how much he wanted to go to Europe while he was here.
“And that sometimes could hold a player back. It’s very important for you to maximize what you’re doing in a place, and not think about where you want to be, because that could hold you back and maybe make you forget what you have to do here.”
Dos Santos, who made Hwang one of his primary targets when he assumed the role of head coach and de facto general manager in November 2018, had no doubts he would help Kazan in its quest to get back into the top five of the RPL and secure a place in Champions League play.
“For Inbeom at his age, coming to Vancouver was a huge step of preparation for him now to go to a new club where he’s already adapted to a new reality, to something different than he faced in Korea. It was a very important step for him to move forward,” Dos Santos said.
“He’s a much more mature player now. He is an adapted player to different cultures now; he could play with players that speak different languages and he’s gonna have an easier time to adapt, where he’s going. He’s a very talented player with quality, and that’s why we were able to do a very good deal where he’s going. Because he’s a player with an incredible potential.”
The subtraction of Hwang from the lineup means the Caps lose their most technically adept and creative midfielder. He had only four goals and six assists in his 41 appearances across all competitions, but he was miscast as a No. 6, not physical enough to be a No. 8 in MLS at a slight 155 pounds, and unable to make an impact as a No. 10 on a team lacking proven scorers.
His role in the middle will likely be assumed by Leo Owusu, complemented by the other current midfielders. Janio Bickel can also step into midfield, but Dos Santos seems to prefer him at right back.
The next target for the Caps is the same profile of player they have lacked for years: a creative, attacking DP midfielder, capable of linking with the forwards and generating scoring chances and driving possession.
The disjointed nature of this season has increased the pressure of finding that player immediately. While there are still playoffs, a Canadian Championship and a CONCACAF Champions League berth to play for — potentially, depending on the continent’s novel coronavirus response — the kaleidoscope of COVID -19 disruptions makes it difficult to make any deep assessments of the roster.
“It’s very clear for us, the player we’re going after needs to bring a big plus for the team. We want to take our time to find the right one and not just rush and bring anybody. There’s no way we’re doing that,” said Dos Santos.
“We have to do our best with the roster we have right now and not rushing in and just signing a guy because we sold Inbeom.”
COVID -19 also means more hurdles on the transaction side. Visa papers are taking a month or more to obtain, and then any incoming international player needs to quarantine for 14 days, falling out of match fitness in that time. Then there’s the integration process of training with the team on top of that. A potential September signing might not be able to play until mid- to late October.
“This season is so hard, so different … it’s so uncertain, so many things that we can’t just panic,” said Dos Santos. “I would prefer to wait and find the guy who could be a difference-maker here for three years then to rush and just replace Inbeom with a guy that’s going to be less than Inbeom or the same.
“We need to now look for the next level, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Schuster said the Caps are looking at all levels and markets for a player, both inside and outside of MLS. But finding what they need within the league doesn’t appear to be an option.
“We always have a short list (of players) … and we rebuild and readjust it every week,” he said. “We have a short list with shadow players ... we would consider as an alternative on every position in the case that something happened. So now it’s (time) to work through our short list and to look at what are the possibilities, and at the same time, we have been focusing a little bit more on this position since two weeks (ago) when we knew that this (was going to) happen.
“We’ll keep our eyes open if there’s another opportunity because of the special situation in the market. We are also looking at league solutions, but who is giving up now on the very good player? And we have a very specific profile in our mind. So I don’t see in the league some club giving up on the player or wants to trade a player that’s fulfilling exactly that profile.
“In midseason, (the market is) more effective for players who maybe are not playing or do not get meaningful minutes. A trade of a player that really can impact our team is the thing for after the season, but as I said, we are looking for a solution before that.”
Hwang is happy to have found his own solution. Kazan finished 10th in the Russian league last year, and kicked off its season last weekend. Their quest to climb back up the ladder continues Saturday against FC Ural Yekaterinburg, but Inbeom won’t be playing in that match.
“I am very grateful to everyone at the (Whitecaps FC) for their support and professionalism both on and off the pitch,” Hwang said in a team release.
“I am disappointed that I am leaving this team without getting the results we wanted. I have grown as a person and player during my time in Vancouver and have made lifelong friends. I have always been very open about my dream to play in Europe and when this opportunity presented itself, I shared my desire to take on this new challenge.
“To the fans, thank you for your support. I will represent the Whitecaps with honour in Europe and I look forward to watching the club continue to grow and achieve tremendous success.”