It is argued that Napoli has not yet given up recruiting Kim Min-jae.
Kim Min-jae has been under fire recently for his lackluster performance. Kim Min-jae, who started in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal match against Real Madrid, allowed two runs due to a fatal mistake. In order to block Vinicius Junior in the 23rd minute of the first half, Kim left space behind his defense and jumped forward. When Eric Dier and Joshua Kimmich failed to make it to the cover, Tony Cross, who was holding the ball, stabbed an exquisite space pass, and Vinicius beat Kim and rushed in and scored a goal.
Kim Min-jae also had a big stake in the second run scene. When Munich took a 2-1 lead, it knocked down a hodre from inside the penalty box in the 38th minute of the second half, giving up a penalty kick. As he lost two goals due to two mistakes, Kim could not avoid much criticism.
Coach Thomas Tuchel even criticized him in person. In an interview after the game, he said, "Kim Min-jae was greedy twice. When he allowed the first goal against Vinicius, he ran out too early and was caught in a cross's pass. Kim Min-jae was overly speculative and aggressive." Not only Tuchel but also Munich fans left malicious comments on his SNS.
After the game, Kim reportedly said, "I'm so sorry" in Korean, without responding to an interview in the mixed zone. He must have hurt his pride a lot.
Perhaps he knew about Kim Min-jae's situation, his former team reached out. Bayern Munich source "Bayern & Germany" quoted Christian Polk, a reporter from Germany's Bild, as saying on the 3rd (Korean time), "Napoli is trying to bring Kim Min-jae back on loan."
This is not the first time that Napoli has sought to recruit Kim Min-jae on loan. On the 17th, Italy's "Il Martino" reported, "Napoli's priority is to recruit defenders, renew the contracts of Post Victor Osimhen and Hvicha Kvaratshelia. There should be at least two center backs, and the dream is to return to Kim Min-jae." It was claimed that Napoli, whose performance fell after Kim Min-jae left, aimed for Kim Min-jae to stabilize its defense again.
However, although Napoli is still aiming for Kim, Kim has no intention of leaving Munich. The media continued, "Despite Napoli's efforts, Kim's transfer is currently impossible. Kim wants to stay in Munich, but he wants more support from the club and communication from his teammates because he feels isolated."
Kim Min-jae was the best player in the team. Having moved to Naples from Fenerbahce ahead of the last season, Kim immediately took the starting role despite the fact that it was his debut season. He covered the back of the defense perfectly with fast feet, and did not allow his opponents to score goals through his strong defense. Thanks to Kim's solid defense, Napoli was able to record the minimum number of goals (28 goals lost) in the league. In 38 games, it gave up only 28 goals. With Kim's strong defense and strong attacks from Osimhen and Kbaratzhelia, Napoli even won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years.
Kim Min-jae, who proved that he works in European big leagues, moved to Munich this season. He played as a starting member all the time at the beginning of the season, but has been pushed to the bench since the Asian Cup schedule of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Major reasons are the joining of Eric Dier and the revival of Matthijs de Ligt. Kim Min-jae has always been on the bench in important matches such as UCL.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae is expected to start against Stuttgart in the 32nd round of the German Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, at 10:30 p.m. on the 4th. Coach Tuchel once said before the match, "Kim Min-jae will have a good chance in tomorrow's game. De Licht can't play yet, and neither can Dayo Upamecano."
