EFL star joins new club to become league’s only English player days after Championship exit

Jan 8, 2026 - 18:45

Former Norwich player Finley Welch has completed a surprise move to South Korean club Chungbuk Cheongju FC.

The 21-year-old spent a decade at the Canaries after coming through the ranks at his boyhood club, but just days after his exit from Carrow Road was confirmed, it’s been revealed he will now play in South Korea.

Norwich City academy graduate Welch has signed for Chungbuk Cheongju

He will become the only active English footballer in the country’s K-League system after Jesse Lingard’s exit from FC Seoul last month.

Welch has signed a deal with K-League 2 side Chungbuk Cheongju, who previously had Tottenham Hotspur starlet Nathan Oduwa on their books.

The second-division outfit finished 12th out of 14 teams last year with just seven wins and 22 defeats from their 39 fixtures.

A press release read: “The addition of Welch is expected to inject European advanced football knowledge and culture into Chungbuk Cheongju’s tactical creativity, and despite his young age, his excellent match management skills are expected to enhance the team’s tactical flexibility.”

The player himself confirmed the announcement on Instagram, writing: “Excited to start this new chapter with [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 debut for Norwich as a teenager under David Wagner in a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in March 2024.

Welch completed his first senior loan away from Carrow Road seven months later to link up with National League outfit Boston United.

However, he suffered a serious knee injury in only his second game that required surgery and sidelined him for over 300 days.

Welch made one Championship appearance for Norwich before suffering from injury

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Ending injury nightmare

Welch finally made his return to full fitness in September in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Norwich’s development squad.

“I’m buzzing to be back,” Welch told the club’s website. “Happy to be back playing with the boys as well. It’s obviously not the result we wanted today, but we can learn a lot from that.

“It’s been a really tough battle, I can’t thank the staff enough and the players around me who have helped me through this tough time. It’s been a mental and physical battle, but I’m just grateful to be back around it and hopefully I can make the next step again.

“Happy with some bits I did, unhappy with some. For me, I’ve been out for so long and all I want to do is enjoy it. There’s a lot I can improve on and I know what to do next and that will come eventually.

“We had spells today where we did things well tonight, taking some positive things into our play. There’s places where we can obviously take our chances and more desire to get that win.”

He has since made three starts in the Premier League 2 and was a regular feature for the club’s youth side in the Premier League Cup.