Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors held a press conference to announce the appointment of its seventh head coach, Dan Petrescu, at Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, on Thursday.
The press conference was attended by Coach Petrescu, Head Coach Valeriu Bordeanu, and Physical Coach Bogdan Aldea. Technical Director Park Ji-sung was also present at the press conference.
“When Di Matteo called me, I said I would only go if it was Jeonbuk, but of course I said yes (because it was Jeonbuk). “I’m very excited, and it’s my job to give the fans the wins they want and to keep them in the (original) position,” said Petrescu, “because they are the biggest club in Korea and Asia. I’ll take it one step at a time. I have two and a half years left on my contract, and I’ll take it one step at a time. I will focus on doing well in the league, in the AFC Champions League and in the Asian Football Confederation.”
Petrescu becomes the second coach in the club’s history and the seventh in charge, following former coach Jose Morais. Having played in the big leagues with clubs such as Genoa (Italy) and Chelsea (England) during his playing career, Petrescu is a seasoned 먹튀검증 coach with experience in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
More recently, he has focused on his native Romania, where he has led Cluj to four league titles (2017-2018-2019-2020-2021-2022).
Despite being a successful coach in his home country, he chose to take on a new challenge on the Korean stage.
As soon as he received the call from Jeonbuk director Park Ji-sung and technical advisor Roberto Di Matteo, he knew he wanted the job.
Petrescu had competed against Jeonbuk in the group stage of the 2016 ACL when he led Jiangsu Suning (China).
“When I was a coach in China, I played against Jeonbuk in the ACL, and I was surprised by the facilities. I was also impressed by the fans. I dreamed of coming to Jeonbuk one day. I have a lot of experience as a coach, but I feel like this is my biggest experience. I’m excited for the opportunity and hope to lead the team in the right direction.”
“I have a lot of experience as a coach, but I feel that Jeonbuk is my biggest experience. I’m excited to take the opportunity here and look forward to leading it in the right direction.”
The fact that he has bounced around from team to team has been pointed out as a “disturbing factor. He made his debut as a coach in the Romanian league in 2003 and changed teams 17 times over the next 20 years before arriving at Jeonbuk.
When asked about this, Petrescu shrugged it off, saying, “I’ve been here for 10 years.”
Meanwhile, Petrescu admitted that his goal is to win the championship. He doesn’t want to win the title right away, but he wants to perfect the team and prove it as soon as possible.