Now that they have entered their prime time and are enjoying their best season since joining the Premier League, it was even better to challenge for a big club. However, with the signing of an extension contract until 2028, transfer to FA has become virtually impossible.
It was also noteworthy that there were reports that big clubs such as Arsenal showed interest in Hwang Hee-chan at the time of the news of the renewal. Spain’s Ashes said, “Hwang Hee-chan has been playing well in the Premier League. Arsenal are showing interest in recruiting Hwang Hee-chan. Wolverhampton is seeking to renew the contract to keep Hwang Hee-chan in place, blocking interested teams such as Arsenal.”
Global sports media The Athletic also reported that “Hwang Hee-chan has become the core of the team this season. The club wants to compensate Hwang Hee-chan for his excellent performance with additional contracts,” and that Wolverhampton wants to protect him from Arsenal. As Arsenal, the only unbeaten Premier League winner, expressed interest in Hwang Hee-chan, chances were high that other Premier League teams were also keeping an eye on Hwang Hee-chan’s situation.
His annual salary is also disappointing. If Hwang Hee-chan who signed the new contract converts his weekly salary into his annual salary, it amounts to around 4.68 million pounds (about 7.7 billion won). The salary is rather small for the player who tied for sixth in the Premier League and the most goals scored in his team with eight goals in the league. The Wolverhampton club should have taken into consideration that its financial situation is not good, but if so, it should have pushed for a transfer more. It is regrettable that he was satisfied with the reality and prematurely signed the contract. 스포츠토토
Of course, considering that Hwang Hee-chan has not been able to show good performance due to frequent injuries at Wolverhampton, he is even more grateful to Wolverhampton, who has given a new contract at this point. Hwang Hee-chan has not made a big impression due to frequent injuries. After being loaned to Wolverhampton from Leipzig, Germany in the summer of 2021, he moved to Wolverhampton on conditions including a complete transfer option. He played an active role as a goal scorer right after the transfer, and in January of the following year, he made a complete transfer with a transfer fee of 14 million pounds (about 22.6 billion won).
However, his injury hampered his performance. He had to deal with injuries every time he had to play in the starting lineup competition. Notably, his frequent injury to his hamstring caused a severe blow to Hwang Hee-chan, whose main weapon was explosive dribbling. Due to his injuries and other reasons, he played in 32 games with only four goals and three assists, making it difficult to compete for the starting lineup last season.
Eventually, rumors of a release were circulated from last winter, and it was classified as a target for sale in the summer transfer market. In fact, Leeds United, Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma and Wolfsburg in Germany reportedly hoped to recruit Hwang Hee-chan, and Wolverhampton, whose financial situation worsened, sent several players away, including transferring captain Huweng Neves to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal. In other words, Hwang Hee-chan and Wolverhampton could have already been accompanied last summer.
It is possible that he felt it was not time to challenge for a big club to judge himself. As mentioned earlier, Hwang Hee-chan has not been able to show such a remarkable performance in the Premier League, but has continued to play surprisingly this season. It is also true that it is a reckless challenge to leave for a big club immediately when he has just begun to adapt.
Hwang Hee-chan, who has struggled so far to the point where he had to change his diet after suffering from injury, is a person who knows his physical condition better than anyone else. He must have judged various conditions and concluded that renewing his contract with Wolverhampton is practically the best, not transferring to a big club.
