Ahn Jung-hwan

John Duerden reports on a Rovers Return

It can be cold in France in January and Ahn Jung-hwan may have felt chillier than usual on the evening of 21 January as he watched his then FC Metz team-mates crash to another defeat - this time a 4-1 home thrashing at the hands of mid-table outfit Nantes.

The loss leaves Metz firmly rooted to the bottom of the French Ligue 1 and staring relegation in the face.

If the worst happens and the trapdoor opens, Ahn will be on the other side of the Franco-German border, fighting the drop with MSV Duisberg in the Bundesliga. If he was in any doubt as to his importance to the French team, in which he had been unable to hold down a starting place, the fact that Metz didn't think twice about him joining Blackburn Rovers, was a clear message.

As he sat in the north-eastern industrial city, Ahn was probably unaware of events in the north-east of England as Blackburn defeated Newcastle United to move into eighth place to put a place in Europe firmly in their sights.

The victory was tempered by the fact that Paul Dickov broke his collar bone, an injury that left the 1995 Premier League champions with just two recognized strikers.

On the face of it, the two seemed to be a match made in heaven especially as the club tried to sign the 30-year-old after his starring role in the Korea/Japan World Cup four years ago.

However, it is unlikely that Ahn will ever pull on the famous blue and white shirt as he refused to take the trial that was offered by the English club. While his decision may be mystifying to Europeans, the player does have his reasons.

A trial in the South Korea and England are two different things. In the Far East, K-League clubs will often invite a number of players from overseas and home to attend the trial simultaneously, a process similar to mass schoolboy tryouts in England.

With its reputation as a cheap way to get cheap players - an established international would never be expected to participate in such a process.

It is unclear if Ahn is aware of the different situation in England and the hero of 2002 does seem to have been badly advised throughout the affair.

According to reports, the former Perugia forward was initially told by his agent that in England, a trial was just a formality prior to signing a contract, similar to a medical. After being initially excited at the prospect of moving to the Premier League, the Lord of the Ring decided to remain in France when it became apparent that there was no concrete offer on offer from the Rovers.

The talented K-League MVP of 1998 wanted similar transfers to national team-mates Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo. The United and Spurs stars didn't need trials as they had been impressing at the highest level for a couple of seasons with PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League.

In contrast, Ahn's record in Europe is patchy and the fact that, after spending time in Japan and battling injury, he couldn't get into a side struggling at the bottom of the French league was unlikely to guarantee a lucrative contract at a club looking to finish in the top six in one of the toughest leagues in the world.

It is unfortunate as Rovers' lack of firepower in attack would have provided the Korean with a chance to prove what he could do in England to the fans, and more importantly, Dick Advocaat.

Ahn's place in the national team is not guaranteed but performing well against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool would have impressed the straight-talking boss.

The Bundesliga also offers tough opposition though as a striker playing in a struggling team, scoring opportunities can be hard to come by.

The move to Duisberg struggling near the foot of the German top flight may not have been what the player had in mind but leaving Metz is a priority as he had been enjoying the worst of both worlds.

While getting minimal action with his club Ahn has watched his rivals for the national team striking spots, Lee Dong-gook and Park Chu-young, spend six weeks with the Dutch coach on an overseas tour that provides numerous opportunities to impress.

As if to underline the fact, also on the day that Metz lost 4-1, the young Park scored his third goal in seven appearances to earn Korea Republic a draw against the European champions Greece.

Funnily enough, Ahn's move to France was intended to be a stepping-stone to a move to England.

The striker left Japan to play in France in the hope of preparing well for the national team and the World Cup. A good performance this summer would, in theory, pave the way to a move to the Premier League.

With his refusal to spend two or three days in Blackburn, that hope seems further away than ever.

John Duerden

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