Former Norwich player Finley Welch has completed a surprise move to South Korean club Chungbuk Cheongju FC.
The 21-year-old spent a decade with the Canaries after making a career for his boyhood club, but just days after confirming his departure from Carrow Road, it was announced that he will now play in South Korea.
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He will be the only active English footballer in the country’s K-League system after Jesse Lingard left FC Seoul last month.
Welch has signed a contract with K-League 2 club Chungbuk Cheongju, who previously had Tottenham Hotspur star Nathan Oduwa in their squad.
The second division team finished 12th out of 14 teams last year with just seven wins and 22 losses in 39 games.
A press release said: “With the signing of Welch, Chungbuk Cheongju’s tactical creativity is expected to be enriched by his advanced European football knowledge and culture, and despite his young age, his excellent game management skills are expected to enhance the team’s tactical flexibility.”
The player himself confirmed the announcement on Instagram, writing: “I’m excited to start this new chapter.” [Chungbuk].
“Ready for the journey and the experience ahead! Let the journey begin…!” alongside a blue heart emoji.
Who is Finley Welch?
The midfielder made his senior Norwich debut as a teenager under David Wagner in a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in March 2024.
Seven months later, Welch completed his first senior loan spell from Carrow Road to join National League team Boston United.
However, he suffered a serious knee injury in his second game, which required surgery and left him sidelined for over 300 days.
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An end to the injury nightmare
Welch finally returned to full fitness in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Norwich’s development squad in September.
“I’m excited to be back,” Welch said on the club’s website. “I’m also happy to be able to play with the boys again. Of course it’s not the result we wanted today, but we can learn a lot from it.”
“It was a really hard battle, I can’t thank the team and the players around me enough for helping me through this difficult time. It was a mental and physical battle, but I’m just grateful to be back and hope I can take the next step again.”
“Some of the things I’ve done I’m happy with, some of the things I’m unhappy with. As for me, I’ve been out for so long and I just want to enjoy it. There’s a lot I can improve on and I know what I need to do next and that will come eventually.”
“We had phases today where we did well this evening and took some positive things into our game. There are places where we can of course take advantage of our chances and have more desire to win.”
Since then he has started three times in Premier League 2 and played regularly for the club’s youth team in the Premier League Cup.
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Welch captained Norwich in his final appearance for the club, a 1-0 defeat to Bromley’s under-21 team six days before Christmas.
On Monday it was confirmed that he, along with Harry Brook and Hugo Valencia Gomez, had left the Canaries by mutual consent.