Former FC Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo became the latest South Korean bench tactician to move to China, after he accepted the managerial offer from Chinese Super League powerhouse Jiangsu Suning FC, recent reports said.

The 42-year-old Busan native, also a former striker of FC Seoul, is a former key member of the South Korean national squad during his playing days, scoring 27 goals in 69 appearances for the Taegeuk Warriors from 1995 to 2003. He became the fifth South Korean coach in China's first division after accepting the "two-and-a-half year deal to move from FC Seoul to Jiangsu Suning."

Like Us on Facebook

Choi, who led Seoul to the quarterfinal round of the AFC Champions League against Shandong Luneng this August, is set to take over from interim head coach Tang Jing on July 1. He officially replaces former manager Dan Petrescu, who was sacked on June 3.

As a manager, the former Júbilo Iwata player also led FC Seoul to the K League title in 2012, a Korean FA Cup last year, and an AFC Champions League Runner-up finish in 2013. He was also K League Manager of the Year in 2012 and Asian Coach of the Year in 2013.

Yonhap News noted that Choi's acceptance of Jiangsu's deal came a year after the CSL squad's initial offer of two-and-a-half year, $4.3 million contract last summer. It was undisclosed how much Jiangsu offered to him this time around.

Choi had famously remarked last year that he turned down the lucrative Jiangsu deal because "he put loyalty ahead of money in making that decision."

Choi will be leaving an FC Seoul squad that is presently in the second spot on the K League Classic table, only a point behind back-to-back champions and current league leaders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Jiangsu is in the third spot on the China top flight table as of the moment, a point behind second-place Hebei China Fortune and only four points below league leaders and five-year-straight defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, choi yong-soo, Jiangsu Suning FC