Before Pratama Arhan, Suwon FC Admitted To Aiming For Asnawi Mangkualam

Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar has joined Port FC (Instagram/@portfc_official).

JAKARTA - General Manager of Suwon FC, Choi Sun-ho, revealed a new fact after officially signing Primary Arhan as a new player in the 2024 season.

Choi Sun-Oh said that Arhan was not the only Indonesian player who was shot, but the name Asnawi Mangkualam.

This statement was conveyed by Choi Sun-ho while attending the Media Day with Suwon FC in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta, Thursday, February 15, 2024. At that moment, Suwon FC's boss also revealed the reason for finally choosing Pratama Arhan.

Asnawi Mangkualam's contract value is quite high apparently not in line with the club's policy. On long considerations, finally Suwon FC leaned more towards Arhan, who at that time was also free of transfer.

"That's right, we previously wanted to recruit Asnawi Mangkualam. Due to financial problems, we couldn't sign him," said Choi Sun-ho.

The choice of Primary Arhan to be part of Suwon FC is not without reason. The K-League 1 club saw Arhan's great talent and believed the left-back would become a growing player.

Choi Sun-ho saw how Arhan performed in the Indonesian national team in the 2023 Asian Cup.

"We did finally find Arhan. He is in a free agent situation," said Choi.

"We are happy to recruit him because he has good quality. He is also a mainstay player in the Indonesian national team," he said.

After Pratama Arhan, Suwon FC did not rule out the possibility of looking for other potential players from Indonesia. However, Arhan must also be able to prove his quality first so that he can become a pioneer.

"Of course we are looking for the best talent from Indonesia and around Indonesia of course. Whether it's in Southeast, West, and Central Asia. When we did, we found Arhan," said Choi Sun-ho.

Before finally officially joining, rumors of Pratama Arhan getting closer to Suwon FC have emerged since September 2023.

At that time South Korean media, Sport Chosun, said Suwon FC had agreed to recruit Arhan because his contract with Tokyo Verdy expired at the end of the J2 League 2023 season.

While in Tokyo Verdy from 2022-2023, Arhan had minimal stage in the Japanese league's second division. The 22-year-old only performed four times with details of two in the Japanese league and two in the Emperor's Cup.

Meanwhile, Asnawi Mangkualam chose to join Port FC, Thai League 1 club, on January 26, 2024.

Previously, he had been in South Korea for a long time by playing for Ansan Greeners (2021-2023) and Joennam Dragons (2023-2024).