Is it irrational following the preemptive remarks of the CEO of Spain’s La Liga Mallorca club, ‘Keep Lee Kang-in’?
Mallorca CEO Alfonso Diaz, who took the initiative in recruiting Lee Kang-in from Valencia last year, met alone with Sports Seoul at the home stadium Visit Mallorca Estadi on the 10th (Korean time) to sign Lee Kang-in, who was in the winter transfer market in January, from major European leagues. To the report of the proposal, he replied, “It’s all just rumors.” He spared no mention of Lee Kang-in’s buyout (minimum transfer fee) of 17 million euros (22.8 billion won), which was mentioned by the Spanish media, and said, “Lee Kang-in is our key player. It is absolutely necessary for the goal (part 1) to remain. He also said many times that he was happy here. Both the club and the players are happy” and openly mentioned the “no transfer policy” this winter.
At the time, Spanish media such as ‘Marca’ reported that four European clubs were aiming for Kang-in Lee. Newcastle and Aston Villa in the English Premier League (EPL), Burnley in the Championship (Part 2), and Pyejenoord in the Netherlands Eredivisie were mentioned. However, CEO Diaz dismissed it as just a ‘rumor’ and said with confidence that Lee Kang-in would remain on the team for at least the rest of the season. 안전놀이터
However, recently, the current between Lee Kang-in and the Mallorca club is unusual. On the 25th, ‘Marca’ reported that ‘Lee Kang-in is not happy in Mallorca’ and that he is dissatisfied with the club’s behavior in rejecting all other team recruiting offers from him in the winter transfer market. It means that he was disappointed with the club’s attitude of not even negotiating unless the buyout conditions were met. In addition, Lee Kang-in is publicly revealing his uncomfortable planting as it is known that he canceled the follow-up with the Mallorca club’s Instagram.
According to the local media, the teams that have been interested in Lee Kang-in recently are La Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid and EPL Brighton, in addition to the aforementioned teams. In fact, both teams are planning to reinforce the midfield. However, there is no mention of the situation in which the buyout amount of 23 billion won will be paid. At least, Newcastle, which is a rich club and is competing to advance to the Champions League, is evaluated as having financial competitiveness.
As CEO Diaz said, Lee Kang-in and Mallorca drew a ‘win-win structure’ until recently. Lee Kang-in, who had difficulties competing for the starting position in his former team Valencia, reached a turning point after entering Mallorca last season. This season, he has been reborn as a regular starter and is recording 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 La Liga games. He upgraded his defensive power with sophisticated kicks and passes, creative plays using his unique left foot. His value soared even more during the Qatar World Cup in November and December last year. Playing as a member of the Korean national team, he contributed to advancing to the round of 16 by showing off his ‘courier cross’ to help Jo Kyu-seong’s header recovery goal in the second group match against Ghana.
This naturally led to interest from major league teams in Lee Kang-in. As for Lee Kang-in, it seems that he was angered by the club’s unilateral ‘refusal’ attitude at the opportunity to draw a better future in his career. Two weeks ago, CEO Diaz said, ‘Both us and Lee Kang-in are happy’ is true, but it is like a paving stone to control the access of other teams. He once said that he hoped that his views would be clearly conveyed to domestic fans through his newspaper at the time. As a result, Lee Kang-in expresses disappointment in the team’s will, leading to a conflict phase.