Koo upbeat over meeting with Swiss

Koo Ja-cheol of Jeju United is upbeat about his chances of catching on with the BSC Young Boys squad of the Swiss Super League.

Koo spoke to Ilgan Sports about his upcoming meeting with officials from the Swiss club at a Jeju United year-end gathering held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old midfielder has had a busy season, scoring a total of seven goals and leading his club to a runner-up finish in his fourth year with Jeju United. He also captained the U-23 national football team at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games last month to a bronze medal. Several European clubs were said to have been interested in Koo in recent weeks. Koo is set to depart for Switzerland today to meet with BSC Young Boys officials.

“The club showed strong interest in me and has invited me to meet with officials in Switzerland,” said Koo. “I’m not going there to sign a contract at this point.”

Koo was linked to the Blackburn Rovers of the English Premier League in January but the deal failed to materialize. BSC Young Boys finished the 2010-11 season with a record of six wins, six draws and five losses. The team has a total of 11 Swiss Super League titles.

“Young Boys is a good club,” said Koo. “It would be an ideal place to start a career in Europe. I’m not yet at a level where I can play for an elite European club. I want to work one step at a time toward reaching my goal.”

Koo has maintained in the past that he would like to join a team that competes in the UEFA Champions League tourney. “Young Boys is a club that competes regularly in the Champions League,” said Koo. “But Jeju United is a team that has nurtured me for the past four years. I will have to have some serious discussions with Jeju United officials after returning from Switzerland.”

By Jang Chi-hyeok [jason@joongang.co.kr]