Sharjah, literally "surprise." Sharjah chose to strengthen his defense this winter. Sharjah coach Kosmin Olerouiou wanted Korean center backs. He played for Suwon Samsung when he was a player and was with Kwon Kyung-won when he led Al-Ahli after transforming into a coach, which is why Sharjah has a long relationship with Korea.
Originally, he was connected to Jung. wanting to leave Ulsan HD and try, Jung searched for a new team, and there were love calls from Russia and the Middle East. One of them was Sharjah. However, the final negotiation process had difficulties, and Jung accepted Al Wasl's love call from the UAE, who was linked to Korean defenders including Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD), and confirmed his trip to the Middle East.
Sharjah found another Korean defender. It was Cho Yoo-min who was on the list. Sharjah was so active in recruiting Cho Yoo-min that he offered a buyout amount in a surprise move. Cho Yoo-min reportedly had a buyout only for overseas transfers. Cho Yoo-min, who wanted to play abroad someday, decided to go to Sharjah after much consideration. Sharjah is said to have promised a large salary.
Cho is one of the best center backs in the K-League. Cho, who was a striker until his university, joined Suwon FC in 2018 and transformed into a defender. Cho, who showed his potential in his first year and was selected as a member of the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, was exempted from military service with a gold medal, transferred to Daejeon, where he was looking for a leader in defense in 2022. Cho, who showed great performance as a key defender of Daejeon, was selected for the A national team and even made his first World Cup appearance in 2022.
Despite his height of 1 meter and 82 meters, which is not as tall as a center back, he boasts strong jumping power and elasticity, demonstrates his power in set pieces, has strength and speed, and excels in building-up skills. His leadership is also well-known.
Daejeon, which was trying to wrap up the winter transfer market after recruiting strikers, was troubled by Cho Yoo-min's sudden transfer. Daejeon sought a change to a four-back with Cho Yoo-min and Anton at the forefront this season. Cho Yoo-min, who had been counting on as the core of the defense this season, left to the extent that manager Lee Min-sung gave the captain's armband, and change became inevitable. For now, the number is enough. Anton, Kim Hyun-woo, Hong Jung-woon, and Aaron are among others. In the summer, Kim Jae-woo will also be discharged from the military. Of course, it is difficult to replace Cho Yoo-min's presence. As it is difficult to find a defender as good as Cho Yoo-min right now, the shift to a three-back centered on Hong Jung-woon is considered an alternative.