On August 17, 2026, South Korea's JTBC reported that the possibility has emerged that the lineage of Korean players in England's Premier League may be broken after 21 years. Meanwhile, 10 Japanese players are expected to play in the new season, a record high.

According to the article, the history of Korean Premier League players has been built by figures such as Park Ji-sung, who once played for Manchester United, and Son Heung-min, who played for Tottenham for a long time. However, this season, Hwang Hee-chan's Wolverhampton has been relegated to the second division. Newcastle's Park Seung-soo and Brentford's Kim Ji-soo have also not established themselves as key players in the first team at this point.

In contrast, Japan has seen an increase in players in the Premier League. In addition to Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma and Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, the number of Japanese players has increased to 9 ahead of the new season. Furthermore, goalkeeper Zion Suzuki's transfer to Aston Villa is said to be imminent, and if it materializes, it would bring the total to a record high of 10 players.

The British newspaper The Guardian published an article on the 16th local time, titled "The end of an era? The Korean sun sets in the Premier League, and Japan rises." Although three Korean players are currently affiliated with Premier League clubs, it reported that Brentford's Kim Ji-soo and Newcastle's Park Seung-soo are both highly likely to be loaned out again. Furthermore, it is said that Tottenham's Yang Min-hyuk has already been confirmed for a loan move to Westerlo in this summer's transfer market.

JTBC's article analyzed, "While prominent star players like Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min have paved the way to the Premier League in South Korea, Japan is not relying on a single star but rather developing an age-group training system and promoting a method of sending many promising players to Europe from an early stage." It concluded, "The difference in Japanese and Korean football can be seen in the Premier League, following the World Cup."

Regarding this, South Korean netizens voiced opinions such as: "Japan is just growing at an incredible pace." "Honestly, Japan's development system is amazing. We have to admit it." "Japan isn't just Mitoma. It's scary how new players keep emerging one after another." "When a superstar like Son Heung-min emerges in Korea, there's a tendency to rely too much on that player." "I think it's premature to judge Korean and Japanese football as a whole based solely on the number of players in the Premier League, but it's surprising that there might be 0 players." "Still, it's sad that the history of Korean Premier League players, which has continued for 21 years, might be broken."

Additionally, voices were also heard such as: "The next generation must further expand the path built by Son Heung-min and Park Ji-sung." "We need to consider age-group development and overseas expansion long-term, like Japan." "South Korea should reform its football association." "Ultimately, regarding football, we need to clarify whether the country will put effort into it. It would be impossible to expect strong players to emerge without proper development."