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S. Korean forward Park Chu-young released by Saudi Arabian club

February 6, 2015
After struggling in Arsenal for a long time, forward Park Chu-young made his first appearance for Championship club Watford on Monday (KST), which was his first game action in nearly 100 days. Park needs to prove his value to join Korea’s national squad for the upcoming Brazil World Cup. (Korea Times)

Park Chu-young

SEOUL (Yonhap) — South Korean football forward Park Chu-young has been released by his Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab, the team announced Friday.

Al-Shabab said on its Twitter page that it has terminated its contract with Park. The South Korean joined the club last October on an eight-month contract but was released after netting only one goal in seven matches.

A South Korea-based agent privy to transactions in Saudi Arabia also said Park and Al-Shabab have parted ways. Al-Shabab attempted to deal Park to a club in Turkey, among other places, but the talks fell through, the agent added.

The move adds another disappointing ch

apter to what has become a journeyman career for Park, a 29-year-old former prodigy who has bounced around several clubs in recent years with little success.

Another agent here pointed out that Park signed with Al-Shabab last fall when the club was missing its regular forward to suspension. When he couldn’t produce on a consistent basis, he became expendable.

Park made a successful professional debut with FC Seoul here in 2005 and was named the Rookie of the Year after netting the league-high 18 goals. He moved to AS Monaco in the top French league in 2008, and parlayed a solid career there into a deal with Arsenal in the Premier League.

Things have gone downhill since Park’s move to London. He was mostly confined to the bench there, and was later loaned to Celta Vigo in Spain and Watford in England’s second division.

Park had a disastrous World Cup campaign last summer, and it was during the tournament that Arsenal decided not to retain the underachieving forward. He spent a few months without a team before latching on to Al-Shabab.