Incheon United had the most satisfying winter. It is thanks to the renewal of the contract as much as the recruitment.
When I thought of Incheon in the past, the image of a ‘selling club’ was strong. There were many times when the team’s performance stayed in the bottom ranks, and there were many cases where it miraculously remained at the end of the season. Since the start of the promotion system in 2013, they have finished 9th or lower 6 times out of 10 seasons. At the same time, there were a lot of cases where the team’s main axis and aces left after the season ended.스포츠토토
However, things changed completely after the appointment of manager Cho Seong-hwan. The core force was preserved, and the squad was strengthened step by step by recruiting necessary resources. First of all, the recruitment name value has changed. After embracing Lee Myung-joo last year, he brought Shin Jin-ho, Jerso, and Mpoku in the transfer market this winter. The rush of big names continued as the team finished in the top 4 in the league and qualified for the AFC Champions League.
If there is a bigger achievement than the recruitment, it is the renewal of the contract. After the end of the season, Incheon sequentially announced the renewal of the contract. Delbridge (2024), Lee Myung-joo (2025), Kim Bo-seop (2025), Kim Jun-yeop (2024), Kim Yu-seong (2024), Park Hyun-bin (2024), Jeong Dong-yoon (2025), Kim Dong-min (2025), Kim Dong-heon (2024), Lee Tae-hee (2025), and Min Seong-jun (2025) signed extension contracts.
On the 23rd, ‘1 Day 4 Special’ came out. Kim Do-hyeok (2025), Kim Min-seok (2024), Oh Ban-seok (2024), Hong Si-hoo (2024) stamped. So far, a total of 15 contracts have been renewed. All of them were key players or players with high potential for growth.
Incheon fans had to secretly have a hard time letting go of a player they had been fond of. But not anymore. He can applaud you more and love you more as you do well. He doesn’t have to worry about it just because he’s doing as well as before.
Regarding the renewal of the contract, an official from Incheon said, “I always worked hard to renew the contract with Incheon players, and I wanted to strengthen the squad by capturing existing players. Even before the announcement of the contract renewal, we continued negotiations through behind-the-scenes work.” It can be seen that the club also made efforts to treat the existing players, rather than just pouring money into recruitment.
Now, Incheon has only things left to do in the 2023 season. The goals revealed by coach Cho Sung-hwan were to finish third in the league, win the FA Cup, and pass the ACL group stage. If it is supported by grades, it can be the best year.