"Jeon Jin-woo's return = a new signing": Arsenal legend and Oxford United manager Aaron Ramsey showers praise after the Korean striker's first European goal… "A player I had been expecting since I arrived here"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"It will feel like we have signed a new player."

Aaron Ramsey, an Arsenal legend and Oxford United manager, expressed high expectations for Korean forward Jeon Jin-woo, who scored his first goal in European competition in his return match from injury.

Oxford won 4-0 against Cheltenham Town in their home match in Group A South of the 2026-2027 season England Football League (EFL) Trophy on the 11th (Korean time) at Kassam Stadium in Oxford, UK.

Jeon Jin-woo, who had been sidelined due to a back injury during pre-season, entered the field in the 23rd minute of the second half as a substitute for Aidomo Emaku. It was his first official match of the season.

Jeon Jin-woo activated his scoring power from his return match. In the 37th minute of the second half, with Oxford leading 2-0, Jeon received a pass from Harrison Bradney just outside the penalty box. He turned and struck the ball hard with his right foot, sending it into the top right corner of the goal. It was his first official goal in European competition, coming 295 days after joining Oxford.

Last year, Jeon Jin-woo contributed to the K League 1 and Korea Cup titles by recording 20 goals and 6 assists in official matches for Jeonbuk Hyundai. He recorded 16 goals and 2 assists in K League 1 alone.

Based on this performance, Jeon joined Oxford last January, stepping onto European soil for the first time. In his first season, he appeared in seven Championship (second division) matches and one Football Association (FA) Cup match but did not score. Oxford was also relegated to the third tier.

Jeon tasted goal in a pre-season friendly in July last month, but subsequently suffered a back injury, leading him to play his first official match of the season only in November.

The UK regional newspaper Oxford Mail evaluated that "Jeon Jin-woo shone in his return from injury."

The manager's thoughts were similar. According to reports, Manager Ramsey was asked after the match whether Jeon Jin-woo's return would feel like signing a new player for the next few weeks. Manager Ramsey answered, "Of course."

He added, "I think it will feel that way because I know what kind of ability Jeon Jin-woo can add to our team."

Stating he had kept an eye on him since taking charge, Manager Ramsey pointed out Jeon's strengths one by one. Manager Ramsey highly evaluated him, saying, "Jeon Jin-woo is a player I have really been looking forward to since I came here. He is clever and has sharp movement. He possesses explosive power as well as finishing ability."

He then praised him, adding, "He finished well in today's goal scene as well. It had been a long time since he played a competitive match, but Jeon Jin-woo's performance was really good."

Manager Ramsey, who served as captain of the Wales national team, played as a midfielder for Arsenal for 11 years from 2008 to 2019. After retiring as a player, he served as caretaker manager at Cardiff City before taking charge of Oxford in June this year. Oxford is his first team as a permanent manager.

On this day, Jeon Jin-woo played for 22 minutes and converted both of his two shots into on-target efforts. He completed 16 out of 19 passes (an 84% success rate) and created one shooting opportunity for a teammate.

Football statistics media FootMob gave Jeon Jin-woo a rating of 7.8, indicating that his performance was very good.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original