Defensive midfielders with the Best Potential in K League 1 2026
The highest-potential defensive midfielders in K League 1 in 2026, ranked on Field Insider.
At a glance
Jeong-Hyun Kim of Daegu FC is the standout for raw talent across defensive midfielders in K League 1, with a Field Insider Rating of 38.1, and Lee Jae-Won has been the form player this season, grading 22.
The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: Lee Jae-Won has improved his Season rating most, up +2 on last season. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.
By our market-value index, Lee Seung-Won of Gangwon FC is the most valuable name in this group at 10.2.
3 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →
| Player | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeong-Hyun KimDefensive midfielder |  Daegu FC | 26 | 13 | 38±0% |
| 2 | Lee Jae-WonDefensive midfielder |  Suwon City FC | 29 | 2210% | 2922.7% |
| 3 | Kim Kang-GukDefensive midfielder |  Gangwon FC | 29 | 820.8% | 2730.2% |