The South Korean international was on the Hoops’ wishlist last January but knocked back a move
Cho Gue-sung insists he doesn’t regret turning his back on a move to Celtic.
The South Korean striker shot to stardom during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, scoring twice in a 3-2 defeat to Ghana, putting him on the radar of clubs across Europe. Ange Postecoglou was already well aware of the 25-year-old’s talents and a January switch to Parkhead looked to be on the cards.
But as Cho dragged his heels over a winter switch to Europe, the Celts eventually moved on to other targets as fellow countryman Oh Hyeon-gyu arrived before deadline day. Cho did eventually leave Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in July after completing a £2.6 million move to Danish side FC Midtjylland. There, he’s continued his goalscoring exploits by netting eight times in 21 starts.
Yet while Midtjylland might not be as big a club as Celtic, Cho is satisfied he made the right choice after becoming the main man at his new club.
He told the Athletic: “In the winter transfer window, there were many offers from a lot of different clubs, but I waited until the summer. There were several unofficial offers from England and Scotland. But once I made my decision, I stuck with it.
Former Celtic target Cho Gue-sung
“I wasn’t afraid of the media attention, but I only wanted to focus on football. I wanted a club where I would start in every game. I was sure that Midtjylland could offer me that. Midtjylland was the most interested, so that’s why I picked them.”
Cho revealed he leaned heavily on ex-Manchester United hero Park Ji-sung for advice on his future, adding: “Park Ji-sung is a director of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, my old club.
“He didn’t give me advice in terms of how to deal with fame, but he gave me a lot of advice about moving to Europe and about building a new life there. He told me to choose a team where I knew I would play, because that’s what he did when he moved to PSV Eindhoven.”
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