K League 1: ‘Jeonbuk Hyundai has a venomous streak. They have decided to go with a competent foreign coach. Dan Petrescu (56-Romania), who led CFR Cluj in the Romanian league, will take the helm.
A European soccer source said on the 30th, “We understand that Jeonbuk has decided to appoint Dan Petrescu, a dual Romanian-English citizen. Both parties have agreed and only detailed procedures remain. As soon as the visas for the coach’s entourage, who are currently in Romania, are finalized, he will arrive and start rebuilding Jeonbuk.”
Several Romanian media outlets also reported on the same day that “Cluj has decided to release Petrescu, who has been the subject of much interest in Asia, without any conditions,” suggesting that the move to Jeonbuk is a done deal.
The “conditions” are interpreted as penalties for terminating the contract. Petrescu is under contract until June 2024. Jeonbuk, under Kim Doo-hyun, is expected to officially join the club from the A-League break in June.
Petrescu, who coached Cluj until the 2022-2023 season and has no gaps in his career, meets the criteria set by Jeonbuk for the next manager. He meets the following conditions: ▲ clear soccer philosophy ▲ winning record and reputation as a player and coach ▲ Asian experience.
Raised in Romania’s prestigious Steaua Bucharest youth team, he played for Genoa (Italy), Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Brentford, and Southampton (England) until his retirement in 2003. He also represented Romania at two World Cups (1994 USA, 1998 France) and two European Championships (1996 England, 2000 Netherlands-Belgium).
He also has a strong coaching background. He began his coaching career as a coach in Bucharest and then went on to manage Dynamo Moscow, Kuban Krasnodar (Russia), Unirea Urzicheni and Cluj (Romania) before joining Wisła Kraków (Poland) in 2005. He has also managed clubs in Asia, including Al Arabi (Qatar), Jiangsu and Guizhou (China), and Al Nasr (UAE).
He also won quite a few titles during this 먹튀검증 time. He won five Romanian league titles (four with Cluj and one with Unirea), the Russian second division title (Krasnodar) and the Chinese Super Cup (Jiangsu).
The selection process was longer than expected. It took more than a month from initial contact to agreement, as the team needed to find the right person to make up for past disappointments and begin a long-term rebuild.
After former head coach Kim Sang-sik (46) first announced his resignation on April 29, contact with candidates was made in early May, when the decision was finalized. Technical Director Park Ji-sung worked with Technical Advisor Roberto Di Matteo (53-Italy) to narrow down the list, which was eventually narrowed to three candidates. The first candidate was enthusiastic, but had to back out due to family issues. The second choice, Petrescu, was still under contract and in the middle of the season, and there were tax and other issues to consider.
After a bit of a tug of war, the deal was finalized around the 29th. Petrescu, who comes to Jeonbuk with several coaches he has worked with in Europe, is expected to take over the club’s scouting and physical system. Jeonbuk plans to actively pursue reinforcements in the upcoming summer transfer market, including a foreign striker.