S Korean player-Premier League

▲ In this Associated Press file photo from Nov. 1, 2021, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers (L) celebrates with teammate Rayan Ait-Nouri after scoring a goal, later disallowed, against Everton during the clubs' Premier League match at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England. (Yonhap)

▲ This image captured from Wolverhampton Wanderers' Twitter page on Jan. 27, 2022, shows a tweet announcing the Premier League club's permanent deal with the South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ In this EPA file photo from Dec. 4, 2021, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers (L) is in action against Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the clubs' Premier League match at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England. (Yonhap)

S Korean player-Premier League

S. Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan signs permanent deal with Wolverhampton

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- Wolverhampton Wanderers' South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan will be with the Premier League club until 2026.

Wolves announced Wednesday (local time) that they have exercised the option to sign the forward to a permanent deal on July 1 this year, following the end of his current loan deal from the German side RB Leipzig.

Hwang joined Wolves at the end of August on loan for the rest of the 2021-2022 season, with an option for a permanent transfer in the summer.

With Hwang having made a quick impact with four goals in his first six Premier League matches, Wolves locked him down for four more years. He memorably scored his first goal in his first match for Wolves and lifted them to their first Premier League win of the season on Sept. 11. He was named the club's Player of the Month for September.

"I'm very happy to be here at Wolves until 2026. I feel very happy to play for a team with a really good manager and great teammates," Hwang was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "They have helped me with many things since I came here, and because of this, I have been able to focus just on me and my football, and have been able to do my things well."

Scott Sellars, Wolves' technical director, noted how quickly Hwang was able to settle in with the new club.

"We could see straight from our first meeting with him that Hee-chan is such a focused and determined young man who wants to be successful in his football career," Sellars said. "He's shown a lot of determination, a lot of focus and certainly a lot of professionalism every day, and he's got his rewards in terms of his performances and his goals."

Hwang, who celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since mid-December. He said he is feeling "a lot better now" and is looking forward to rejoining the team in training next week.

"I want to come back stronger and fitter than I was before," he said. "My goal now is the same that it was: to score goals and win games here."

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