Bae Jun-ho, 20, of Stoke City, has hinted at why he is not yet a regular starter in the English Professional Soccer Championship.

Alexander Neil (42, Scotland) told British newspaper The Sentinel: “He doesn’t have a lot of experience playing at the level of the English second division. He might make mistakes when he shouldn’t.”

The Sentinel is a local newspaper in Stoke City’s home town of Stoke-on-Trent. In the summer of 2023, Bae joined K League One side Daejeon Hana Citizen for a club-record transfer fee of €2 million ($2.9 billion) to play in the English second tier.토토사이트

Bae has signed a contract with Stoke City until June 2027. Head coach Alexander Neil said: “He can be in areas (on the field) where he doesn’t have to go (to make a mistake). I understand that he doesn’t read the situation as quickly as the seniors.”

Since joining Stoke City, Bae has started seven consecutive English Championship games at left wing and center forward, recording one assist. That’s a positive 0.40 assists per 90 minutes, despite only playing an average of 31.9 minutes.

However, Bae didn’t get a chance to play in the next three games as he came off the bench. Alexander Neil’s point, and the -0.80 goals per 90 minutes difference between appearances and absences analyzed by Opta Sports, is not unrelated.

According to Opta Sports, a global statistical company covering 70 countries and 30 sports, the expected value of attacking points per 90 minutes in the Bae Joon Ho Championship is 0.47. Head coach Alexander Neil also recognized his individual abilities, saying, “He’s young and energetic, he gives (Stoke City) energy with his will and determination to see it through to the end.”

The English Championship is the sixth largest commercially in world soccer, according to transfer market specialist Transfermarkt. It’s no exaggeration to call it the world’s number one division. Coach Alexander Neil calls it a “high-level stage”.

Bae Jun-ho the day after his side were promoted to the English second tier. Photo via Stoke City official social media
Since the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023, Bae has helped South Korea to a fourth-place finish with one goal and three assists in four games. He averaged 84.0 minutes in the tournament, with 1.07 offensive points per 90 minutes.

ESPN Latin America and South American OTT service ST★R+ jointly ranked Bae as the best winger on the left and right wings in their U-20 Soccer World Cup Position Power Rankings.

ESPN Latin America and ST★R+ share the same parent company, The Walt Disney Company, the world’s largest media company. Bae Joon-ho was also included in the list of “20 people to watch after the U-20 World Cup” by French broadcaster Canal Fleur.

On July 27, the Korean professional soccer all-star Team K League won the 2023 Coupang Play Series home match against Atletico Madrid (Spain), ranked 15th in the European club rankings, 3-2. Bae Jun-ho played the first half as the starting attacking midfielder.

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone (53-Argentina) named Bae the most impressive Team K League player. He was recognized by the European Union of Sports Journalists (UEPS) as the best football coach of 2011-12.