After the 2023 season, unlike in the past, managerial changes became the main highlight of the Premier League. Even though Harbor and Shenhua just won the championship, they also made managerial changes. The relegation teams are also unwilling to lag behind, Qingdao Hainiu also changed the relegation meritorious coach. Overall, most of the Chinese Super League clubs were looking to improve in the new season, and therefore proactively chose to change coaches. 2024 January saw 30-year-old club Henan follow suit as the coaching changes continued. Sarko was highly praised for leading the team to relegation in the 2023 season with a relatively stable roster. However, the club was not satisfied with that. As a result, after 10 months in charge, Sarko had no choice but to step down.
With such a determined conversion, Henan also left a backhand. After negotiating with the famous Korean coach Nam Ki Ik, the club also officially announced that they welcome the new coach, and Nam Ki Ik became the first new coach of the CSL in 2024. When it comes to Nam Ki Ik, fans familiar with the Korean league are no strangers. The 50-year-old coach still holds two records in Korean soccer. First, Cheonan City, Gwangju and Seongnam were the first coaches to lead three different clubs to promotion to the K-League, and all of them have enjoyed the fruits of coaching that Nam Ki-il brought to the table. Secondly, Korean soccer coaches have been coaching for the longest time and have a lot of coaching experience, which is one of the reasons why Hanam lifted Nam Ki-il.
Prior to joining Henan, Nam Ki-il coached Jeju United, who were firmly in the upper-middle of the K-League for the past two seasons. Nam Ki-il has made great contributions. Due to his outstanding performance in leading the team, Nam Ki-il won the best performance of the month several times and his popularity increased significantly. This time, Team Henan also offered a generous package. Nam Ki Ie accepted it gladly and both sides hit it off immediately. As you know, Nam Ki I's joining coincided with Henan Team's 30th birthday, which was not only a gift from the club to the outside world, but also an expression of their determination and confidence to achieve good results for the new season. The bottom line for Henan is still relegation, and it's more realistic to set an online target of an Asian Champions League spot.
However, after signing Nam Ki I, Henan also took some risks. On the one hand, Nam Ki Ik has been in the Korean League and lacks experience in coaching abroad. From this perspective, Nam Ki Ik's choice of CSL is also a challenge for himself. It is unclear whether it can adapt to an unfamiliar league. Once it fails to integrate, the performance of the Henan team cannot be guaranteed.
On the other hand, Korean coaches need to bring in translators. The language barrier is obvious. Internal and external assistance should be matched with Korean translators. Communication is not difficult and will take an adjustment period. The early signing is also meant to help Nam Ki Ik integrate into the team and try to complete the bonding during the winter training phase to be at his best before the new season.
