Should the Chinese Super League hire a Korean coach again? It might be better to "promote" young local coaches.

By Han Bing On July 31, South Korean media reported that Ulsan Hyundai, the defending champions of the K League, has decided to dismiss head coach Kim Pan-gon, with former Indonesia national team coach Shin Tae-yong, who has been unemployed for over six months, likely to take over. This is primarily a matter within the K League, but some Korean media suggest that Kim Pan-gon could become the fourth Korean coach in this season's Chinese Super League.

In fact, as early as last year, when coaching the Malaysian team, there were rumors that Kim Pan-gon was favored by some Chinese Super League clubs, but ultimately, it did not materialize. According to reports, intermediaries have recently been "promoting" Kim Pan-gon to certain clubs in the Chinese Super League.

Although Korean coaches have always had a certain market in the Chinese Super League, this year's performance of Korean coaches has significantly shattered the impression of being "cost-effective." Nam Ki-il left Henan after much deliberation, Choi Kang-hee's relationship with Shandong Taishan is very tense, and Xu Zhengyuan from Chengdu Rongcheng is the only Korean coach this year who has achieved good results with his team, although he also faced a crisis in his relationship with the club.

Currently, both the Chinese Super League and the China League One have some clubs searching for new foreign coaches, and Korean coaches, known for their cost-effectiveness, have consistently been a significant presence among foreign coaches in the league. Compared to the generally well-regarded Spanish and Portuguese coaches, the shortcomings of Korean coaches in tactical abilities, nurturing newcomers, and other aspects have become more apparent. Ultimately, when the cost-effectiveness filter for Korean coaches disappears, Chinese Super League clubs do not necessarily have to continue the traditional stereotypes in selecting coaches.

In fact, with the emergence of Shao Jiayi and Deng Zhuoxiang, Chinese Super League clubs can and should provide more opportunities for young local coaches. Whether from the perspective of pursuing cost-effectiveness or accelerating the iteration of local coaches, young local coaches are clearly more worthy of "investment" compared to Korean coaches, who find it increasingly difficult to succeed in the league. As the Chinese Super League returns from the era of big money to a more rational era, clubs generally have limited financial resources, making it more cost-effective economically and competitively to employ local coaches, similar to the practices in the K League and J League.

Especially considering the performances of Deng Zhuoxiang at Wuhan Three Towns and Shao Jiayi at Qingdao West Coast this year, it is evident that the abilities of young local coaches are not inferior to those of certain foreign coaches. At least for mid-to-lower tier clubs in the Chinese Super League, cost-effectiveness remains the top priority for survival. If young local coaches can achieve results that meet the club's goals, there is naturally no need to forcefully choose a Korean coach with a salary far exceeding that of local young coaches, whose prospects may not be better.

It is particularly important to acknowledge that this year, not only are local players undergoing significant iterations in the Chinese Super League, but local coaches are also facing similar circumstances of iteration.

Before Deng Zhuoxiang's stunning rise, Xie Hui, Li Xiaopeng, Shao Jiayi, and even Li Jinyu from the China League One had already received opportunities. Currently, there are as many as six local coaches in this season's Chinese Super League, and the 36-year-old Deng Zhuoxiang has already proven to be at least more suitable for Wuhan Three Towns than his predecessor, foreign coach Martins. Meanwhile, Han Peng, who is temporarily coaching in place of Choi Kang-hee, has shown performances worth further evaluation. The Chinese Super League needs more coaches like Deng Zhuoxiang, rather than more Korean coaches with low success rates, as repeating failures only leads to higher budget costs for clubs.

In fact, rather than hiring Korean coaches, the Chinese Super League should learn from the Korean football scene regarding the cultivation and reuse of local coaches.

For retired South Korean stars, the system of transitioning from playing to coaching is very mature. Kim Do-hoon, Hwang Sun-hong, Hong Myung-bo, and Choi Yong-soo have continuously succeeded, with Yoon Jung-hwan even becoming a coach in the J League before returning to Korea to coach a powerhouse. The continuous iteration of Korean coaches has formed a sustainable and positive cycle, rooted in the proactive support from the Korean Football Association down to K League clubs.

Local coaches have always been one of the weakest links in Chinese football. Today, with the improvement in youth training quality, new stars like Wang Yudong have emerged, but we have yet to form a truly systematic "support" for coach development, especially among club management, which often harbors various concerns and biases. The fact is, just as local players need to play more high-quality matches to develop, local young coaches can only be seen as more excellent if they are given more coaching opportunities.

Rather than investing resources in Korean coaches with relatively low success rates according to traditional views, it would be better to use the same or even fewer resources to support the younger generation of local coaches. The rebound of Chinese football not only relies on more new players but also requires the emergence of a new generation of local coaches, thus forming a complete positive cycle of professional football talent.