Hwang Hee-chan has emerged as a target for Marseille and simply put, Wolves must not sell the attacker unless astronomical money is offered.
It was reported last week that the French club made a bid of around £21 million for Hwang.
This offer was swiftly rejected, and there has been no follow-up bid as of yet. It is unclear whether Marseille will be returning with a new proposal.
Currently, Hwang is one of 29 players out in Marbella for pre-season training.
They are being put through their paces and have their first game tonight against Como. Later this month, the club will fly to the US.
Hwang will no doubt be on that flight, because the club are very keen to keep him – which is a stance that Wolves fans everywhere should welcome.
Hwang is top on and off the pitch and Wolves should not sell
After his first two seasons at the club, the jury was still out on Hwang for a lot of people.
He hadn’t really lived up to expectations, and also picked up muscular injuries leading to time on the sidelines which was frustrating for both him and the fans.
But under Gary O’Neil, he has been a player transformed.
He still had injury problems last term, but when he did play he was key for Wanderers. His pace and mobility were very much admired by the manager, and his link-up play with Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto was excellent. He thrived in a front three with those two, and was often the man arriving in the box to gobble up chances.
He finished the season with 13 goals to his name, and was statistically one of the most clinical players in the Premier League.
Not only is Hwang great in front of goal, and versatile enough to play anywhere across the front, he is also a player who always works his socks off.
Hwang – described by O’Neil last year as ‘excellent’ and ‘really intelligent’ – is very humble and this translates to how he plays football. He is not someone who is above the dirty work, and will run for as long as his body allows. This kind of player is absolutely invaluable.
Further to this, £14 million signing Hwang is known for being a brilliant person away from the pitch.
South Korean fans regularly attend games at Molineux just to watch him, and he always makes time for them afterwards, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Last year in pre-season, Hwang was the only Wolves player to hang around after a game with Luton Town. He stood in the rain with a group of fans signing every single autograph.
Things like this just show that he is a credit to himself and the club.
Hwang has strong commercial impact
Not only is Hwang a brilliant player both on and off the pitch, he has also helped Wolves grow commercially in South Korea.
After Heung-min Son, he is arguably the most loved South Korean player and he has undoubtedly drawn the gaze of many people back in his homeland in Wolves’ direction.
The Athletic reported in October 2023 that ‘Wolves’ followers in South Korea rose by more than 5,000% last season (2022/23) compared to 2021/22, to a total of 113,785′. It was also reported ‘social media impressions increased by 709% to 7.3 million, while engagements went up to 33,961, a rise of 370%’.
Furthermore, last summer, a Korean wholesaler ordered 1,500 Wolves shirts from the club, all of which had ‘Hee Chan number 11’ on the back.
Wolves saw revenue from South Korean online orders increase by 1,264% in the two years since his signing, with 2,276 orders in his two years at Wolves compared to 189 in the previous two seasons.
Since this report from The Athletic, Hwang’s profile has grown even more and one can only assume that Fosun see him as a very big asset.
Thankfully, Hwang did sign a new contract last December which made him one of Wolves’ highest earners. So realistically, the chances of the club selling him this summer are very, very slim.