When Hwang Hee-Chan took the well-worn path from Salzburg to Leipzig last summer, the taurine-powered striker knew he would be arriving in the Bundesliga with big shoes to fill.
‘Turbo Timo’ Werner had scored 34 goals in his final season at the Red Bull Arena after all, producing a career-best tally before joining Chelsea for £53 million. But you can see why Leipzig felt that Hwang, a South Korea international who had made his name at their Austria-based sister club, was the ideal replacement for the departed talisman.
Hwang, like Werner, is a forward blessed with explosive acceleration, clinical finishing and the ability to play anywhere across the frontline.
On paper, it worked. But football is not played on paper.
While Werner’s debut season at Stamford Bridge hasn’t exactly gone to plan, it could certainly be worse. Just ask the man who replaced him at Leipzig.
In 15 Bundesliga games, Hwang has not scored a single goal. And it’s not as if he has been short of chances either; time and time again, the 25-year-old has squandered the sort of one-on-one opportunities he used to put away with his eyes shut across the border in Salzburg.
So, with Sport1 claiming that Hwang is a £14 million summer target for both Everton and West Ham United, Erling Haaland’s one-time strike partner would certainly arrive in England with a point to prove.
Who could blame Everton and West Ham supporters if they were left scratching their heads at the addition of a striker who has not scored a league goal since the back end of 2019/20?
But form, as the old cliché goes, is temporary. Carlo Ancelotti and David Moyes obviously believe that Hwang’s class is permanent.
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