"South Korea's No. 9 striker" Oh Hyun-gyu (25) will compete on a higher stage. He will take on a new challenge wearing the No. 9 jersey of Turkey's prestigious club Beşiktaş.
Beşiktaş officially announced on the club website on the 5th (Korean time), "Welcome Oh Hyun-gyu to Beşiktaş! Beşiktaş Football Corporation has announced through the disclosure platform (KAP) that an agreement has been reached on the transfer of professional footballer Oh Hyun-gyu."
It added, "An agreement has been reached between the club and the player on the transfer of Oh Hyun-gyu. The transfer fee is a total of 14 million euros (about 24.1 billion won). Oh Hyun-gyu will transfer from KRC Genk. The contract period is three and a half years, until the end of the 2028-29 season."
This means Oh Hyun-gyu will entrust his future to Beşiktaş until the summer of 2029. The transfer fee announced by Beşiktaş is 14 million euros, but that appears to be the base amount only. According to Turkish and Belgian media, depending on Oh Hyun-gyu's performance, a bonus option of 1 million euros (about 1.7 billion won) could be added, bringing the aggregate transfer fee to 15 million euros (about 25.9 billion won).
Beşiktaş strongly wanted Oh Hyun-gyu. Beşiktaş has chosen him as their new starting striker. With Tammy Abraham leaving for Aston Villa in this winter transfer window, a vacancy opened at the front, and the club plans to fill it with Oh Hyun-gyu, whom they have been watching closely for a long time.
Beşiktaş initially offered 12 million euros (about 20.5 billion won) for Oh Hyun-gyu's transfer fee, but it was rejected. However, they did not give up and increased the offer to 15 million euros aggregates including options, succeeding in obtaining Genk's approval.
A transfer fee of 15 million euros is a considerable amount even in the Turkish league. It is the third-highest fee in Beşiktaş history. It is proof that they view Oh Hyun-gyu not merely as a promising player but as a core asset to shape the team's future.
Genk also made a large profit from selling Oh Hyun-gyu. Genk paid 2.7 million euros (about 4.6 billion won) to acquire him from Celtic in the summer of 2024. Even excluding the sell-on clause, they earned more than 20 billion won in about a year and a half.
In fact, Oh Hyun-gyu was linked with many transfer rumors in this winter window. Reports circulated that several Premier League teams, including Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Leeds United, showed interest in him.
In particular, Fulham seriously considered Oh Hyun-gyu as their second-choice target. But Fulham focused only on Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven) until the transfer deadline, and when PSV failed to find a replacement, everything collapsed. Palace signed Jørgen Strand Larsen and Evan Ferguson, and Leeds did not move seriously either.
In the end, Oh Hyun-gyu's entry into the Premier League did not materialize, and Beşiktaş, which actively courted him, succeeded in snapping him up. Now he is expected to grow his dream of entering the big leagues again by performing at Beşiktaş. Oh Hyun-gyu is also the first Korean player in Beşiktaş history.
Fortunately, the transfer was not canceled after the medical test. Last summer, Oh Hyun-gyu came close to a move to German Bundesliga club Stuttgart, but Stuttgart suddenly canceled the transfer just before the market closed, citing concerns about his knee. Because of that, there were concerns this time as well that the medical could be a variable, but that did not happen.
Oh Hyun-gyu has steadily drawn an upward career trajectory. As one of Korea's traditional leading strikers, he came through the Suwon Samsung youth system in the K League and emerged as a next-generation striker by scoring 14 league goals in the 2022 season. The following year he transferred to Scottish powerhouse Celtic and entered the European stage.
However, he found it difficult to get many opportunities at Celtic. With Japan's Furuhashi Kyogo and Maeda Daizen already playing as starters, Oh Hyun-gyu mainly made substitute appearances. Still, he scored 12 goals in the latter half of the 2022-23 season, showing his presence and earning a move to Genk, who had noticed him.
At Genk, Oh Hyun-gyu established himself as a "super joker" by scoring 12 goals and providing 2 assists in his debut season, and this season he scored 10 goals in the first half, achieving double-digit goals in two consecutive seasons. However, after coach Thorsten Fink was dismissed and Nicky Hayen was appointed, his playing time sharply decreased.
This transfer could be a good choice for both Genk and Oh Hyun-gyu. Belgian outlet HLN previously evaluated, "The transfer appears to be the best solution for everyone. Genk pinned all their hopes on Oh Hyun-gyu, but after his big move to Stuttgart fell through, he never regained his best condition."
Especially with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America taking place in June, Beşiktaş's signing is likely to be an important turning point in his career. As a striker who will bear responsibility for Korea's present and future, he is a strong candidate to head to North America under coach Hong Myung-bo's selection alongside Cho Kyu-seong.
If Oh Hyun-gyu continues his form in the Turkish stage and leads Beşiktaş's second-half resurgence, he could make his dream of appearing in the World Cup a reality for the first time in his life. He accompanied coach Paulo Bento to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but he was not an official member.
Meanwhile, Beşiktaş currently sits fifth in the Turkish Süper Lig with 10 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses, totaling 36 points. Although the club boasts 16 league titles, it has experienced ups and downs this season. To qualify for European competition next season, they need to climb the standings with Oh Hyun-gyu.
[Photo] Beşiktaş social media.
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