There were a few whispers in the wind regarding the fate of Ahn Jung-hwan. The striker chose Suwon Samsung Bluewings as his first K-League club in seven years, but for a while, Seongnam looked to be the most likely destination for the 2002 World Cup hero.

The money was there to bring the “Lord of the Ring” to the Seoul satellite city, but coach Kim Hak-bom shook his head and kept his hands in the pockets of his bright yellow club jacket.

A look at the club’s forward line revealed why the heavy-smoking coach allowed Ahn to ignore the Seongnam exit on the Gyeonbu expressway and continue driving south for just a few more miles.

2006 K-League top scorer Woo Sung-yong may have departed but the deadly Mota remains. Also vying for a starting place were $1 million former Romanian international Adrian Naega, Ahn Hyo-yeon and the tricky Brazilian Itamar.

Suddenly, however, the seven-time champions satta king sprung into action like the mythical animal that appears on the club logo – Pegasus.

First to arrive was Choi Sung-kuk – $2 million was enough to persuade 2005 champions Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I to wave goodbye to their diminutive attacker.

The year 2006 was a strange season for “Little Maradona.” Like the rest of Ulsan’s strikers, his appearances on the score sheet were all too rare but despite his lack of goals, he was widely held to have enjoyed an impressive season, as a recall to the national team demonstrated.

Equally out of the blue was the $2.4 million that the club splashed on Kim Dong-hyun.

Still only 22, the striker has already played in four different countries, almost as many as the well-traveled Ahn Jung-hwan. His career started in Japan with Oita Trinita before he moved to the K-League and Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2004.