Baek Seung-ho is headed to Birmingham City.
“Birmingham City have agreed to sign South Korean midfielder Baek Seung-ho on a free transfer,” Football Insider reported on July 27 (KST).
Baek Seung-ho is a former Barcelona youth player with excellent ball handling skills and passing ability. He is a versatile type of player who has played in several positions, so he has the best of both worlds, and while he started out as an undefined player, he has since established himself as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, and a two-way midfielder.
He has also established himself as a fully-fledged deep-lying playmaker since arriving in the K League from Europe. His excellent fundamentals allow him to move the ball at a high level, and his ability to orchestrate the entire game has made him a very important player for Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Birmingham City brought in American hedge fund manager Tom Wagner in the summer, but the club is currently unable to splash the cash on a new half of the squad as Tony Mowbray would like.
His predecessor, Wayne Rooney, emphasized the need to bring in new players before he was sacked earlier this month, but Birmingham City still have to stay within the EFL’s revenue and sustainability parameters, so they have to spend money wisely.
They have already brought in Andre Dozell on loan until the end of the season from Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers, but with the future of in-form Jordan James uncertain and offers from Atalanta still coming in, Birmingham City need to add more midfield options.
After signing Japanese international Koji Miyoshi on a free transfer in the summer, Birmingham City are now set to bolster their midfield depth with the signing of Seung-Ho Baek. According to the media, Baek will sign a two-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham City.
It is also believed that Birmingham City’s Championship rivals Sunderland were also targeting Seung-Ho Baek, but Birmingham City will eventually prevail and sign him. Mowbray did not confirm that Baek Seung Ho will be Birmingham City’s second signing in the January transfer window, but he did admit that Baek Seung Ho is a player of interest.
Asked if he expects Seung-Ho Paik to succeed Andre Dozell in a Birmingham jersey, Mowbray said, “I can’t say anything to be honest. He is on our list. I’ve seen about 30 players this week alone. Instead, I am not a negotiator. I’m just checking off transfers that will help our club.”
He added: “Some things come to fruition, some things don’t. I don’t know the numbers. I don’t know if this deal is going to happen or that deal is going to happen.”