Seoul E-Land Football Club, currently playing in K-League 2, or the men’s second-highest division of the South Korean football league system, made an announcement bidding farewell to Vietnamese forward Nguyen Van Toan on Friday evening, prematurely ending his contract.

In a message in Korean on their verified Facebook page, Seoul E-Land stated that Toan ended his services at the football club and will be transferring to a different team in Vietnam.

“I felt extremely anxious when I first ventured overseas. I want to express my gratitude to the team, my fellow players, and all the individuals who treated me like family. It’s disheartening to bid farewell. But I must make a decision as a player,” the club cited the 1996-born striker.

Toan left Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) FC, where he had built his professional career after his training years, to move to Seoul E-Land in January on a two-year contract.

At Seoul E-Land Club, Toan played a total of 388 minutes across nine appearances, four of which were starts, with no goals or assists recorded.

His last appearance for the South Korean team was on June 4. 

Following that, he sustained an injury and was sidelined for an extended period until his return to the Vietnamese national team for preparations leading up to the friendly match against Palestine in Vietnam on September 11 and contributed to the 2-0 win that day.

According to the announcement from Seoul E-Land Club, the 1996-born striker is currently in active negotiations with Nam Dinh Football Club in preparation for the 2023-24 V. League 1 season. 

Multiple sources suggest a strong likelihood that Toan will rejoin Nam Dinh in the top-tier V. League 1 on a lucrative three-year contract.

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Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City FC have announced their plan to finalize a labor contract with former French national team player Paul-Georges Ntep next week for the 2023-24 V. League 1 season.

The length of the contract has not yet been specified, according to L’Équipe daily newspaper.

Paul-Georges Ntep has been a free agent since the end of his contract in 2022 with Boavista, a professional football club based in Porto, Portugal.

Ntep was born in Cameroon in 1992 and began his football career in France.

He represented France U18s to U21s before making his debut for the French national team in 2015.

The 31-year-old striker has had stints with several renowned French clubs, including Auxerre, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, and Guingamp.

In 2018, Ntep switched to playing for the Cameroon national team, where he participated in four matches and netted one goal.

Though his transfer fee reached a staggering 10 million euros (US$10.7 million) in 2015, his market value has since dropped to about €250,000 ($268,300).

Now, with his prime playing years arguably in the past, Ntep’s move to Ho Chi Minh City FC has garnered attention from the French media.

Last season, Ho Chi Minh City FC came close to relegation from the top-tier V. League 1, securing just a one-point lead over relegated side SHB Da Nang.

As the season ended, the Ho Chi Minh City-based club bid farewell to Victor Mansaray and Daniel Green in a bid to acquire more proficient foreign attackers.

The planned arrival of Ntep has thus generated significant anticipation for the team’s performance during the 2023-24 season, which is set to commence on October 20.

Before Ntep’s expected recruitment, Ho Chi Minh City FC had enlisted the services of overseas Vietnamese midfielder Pierre Lamothe, whose father is Canadian and mother is Vietnamese.

However, 26-year-old Lamothe is set to be placed on loan in the near future.

For the 2023-24 season, the team will bring in overseas Vietnamese goalkeeper Patrick Le Giang from Hanoi-based Cong An Hanoi FC, under a rule that allows each club to register only one overseas Vietnamese player.

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Striker Nguyen Cong Phuong’s opening goal broke the deadlock and helped hosts Vietnam win 2-0 in a friendly match with Palestine at Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh Province on Monday evening.

During the initial minutes, Palestine took an assertive approach, launching attacks and applying pressure on the host team. 

However, Vietnam’s defense exhibited a strong and well-structured performance, effectively thwarting their opponents’ attempts to reach goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu’s net.

In the 18th minute, Palestine had their first promising chance when Ali Abualfa broke free and confronted Dinh Trieu, but the Vietnamese goalkeeper successfully deflected the player’s shot.

Two minutes later, a lofted pass from midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai led to a tumultuous situation within the Palestine penalty box. 

Nguyen Hoang Duc seized an opportunity to take a shot, but the ball struck the foot of a Palestinian defender and went out.

Another noteworthy incident in the first half was Pham Trung Hieu and Trieu Viet Hung’s exit from the field in an ambulance due to injuries.

In the subsequent minutes, both teams had chances but failed to capitalize on them.

In the 61st minute, Vietnam broke the deadlock as Hoang Duc delivered a splendid through ball, enabling Cong Phuong to break free and calmly slot the ball past Palestine’s goalkeeper, Rami Hamada, giving Vietnam a 1-0 advantage.

Five minutes later, Hoang Duc executed an excellent pass for Pham Tuan Hai, who made an attempt but could not beat goalkeeper Hamada. 

However, Vietnam’s disappointment was short-lived, as in the 78th minute, Nguyen Van Toan swiftly penetrated the opponents’ penalty area and subsequently passed the ball to Tuan Hai, who made a shot into an empty net, extending Vietnam’s lead to 2-0.

Vietnam are scheduled to play away games against China on October 10, Uzbekistan on October 13, and South Korea on October 17.

These international friendlies are anticipated to provide valuable opportunities for players to sharpen their skills ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying and 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaigns.

During the second AFC qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expected to be played from November 16 to June 11, 2024, Vietnam are in Group F alongside Iraq, the Philippines, and the victors of the match between Indonesia and Brunei.

In the forthcoming final round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, set to take place from January 12 to February 10, 2024, the Vietnamese team have been assigned to Group D, along with Japan, Indonesia, and Iraq.

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