Premier League: Kitchee striker Kim Shin-wook’s future up in air, with coach unsure if high earner will stay next season
- Kitchee draw 0-0 with Tai Po to fall three points behind Premier League leaders Lee Man, who beat HKFC 2-0
- Head coach Kim Dong-jin refuses to be drawn into VAR row after goal ruled out for offside
The future of Kitchee striker Kim Shin-wook has been thrown into doubt, after interim head coach Kim Dong-jin said he did not know if his fellow South Korean would stay with the club next season.
Former Shanghai Shenhua player Kim has two years remaining on a contract that sources in his homeland said made the 36-year-old the highest-paid player in Hong Kong Premier League history.
An unspecified injury has sidelined Kim since January 20, and he has made only two starts, and six appearances in total, this season. He was not in the squad for Saturday’s potentially damaging 0-0 draw at Tai Po.
After joining in February 2023 from Lion City Sailors, signing a three-year deal in November 2021 worth reportedly more than S$3 million (HK$17.25million), Kim played seven matches, including five from the bench, in the closing months of 2022-23.
“Even I do not know if he will stay; we need to wait for our club to decide,” Kim Dong-jin said.
Asked whether the player had any chance of featuring in Kitchee’s crucial run-in, when they will target three trophies in a maximum of seven matches, Kim said: “Let’s see, I hope he can train in the next week, but let’s see his situation.”
