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Yun Do-young introduces himself to Brighton ahead of summer transfer

Published: 02 Apr. 2025, 16:34 Updated: 02 Apr. 2025, 17:58

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Yun Do-young poses at Brighton & Hove Albion's training facilities in England in a photo shared on the club's official X account on March 21. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

New Brighton & Hove Albion signee Yun Do-young presented himself to the club in a YouTube video released by the Premier League team on Tuesday ahead of his official move to England in July.

Yun, 18, inked a four-year deal with Brighton on March 21, but has yet to officially join the English team as the transfer window does not reopen until July 1.

But he visited Brighton, looking around the team’s training facilities and introducing himself with a Brighton jersey. The club previously shared a picture of him with the shirt in a post on March 21, a day during the March international break.

Yun Do-young poses with a Brighton & Hove Albion jersey in England in a photo shared on the club's official X account on March 21. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Yun progressed through Daejeon Hana Citizen’s U-15 and U-17 teams and made his K League 1 debut with the club last January. During the 2024 season, he primarily played as a right winger, contributing one goal and three assists in 19 league appearances.

He became the youngest player to score for Daejeon at 17 years, 10 months and four days with a goal against Gwangju FC on Sept. 1, 2024.

He also made the Team K League squad — a selection of K League players picked by fans and coaches for an exhibition match against Tottenham Hotspur — last July.

Yun has represented Korea at the U-17 and U-20 levels, featuring in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in 2023, where Korea finished runners-up. He went on to play in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup in February, picking up one goal and one assist in five appearances to help Korea reach the semifinals.

Brighton have the option of loaning the Korean winger to a lower-tier club, similar to how Tottenham Hotspur loaned Yang Min-hyeok to Championship side QPR nearly a month after his Premier League move.

The club already hinted at their plan for Yun, as Technical Director David Weir said last month that they will be monitoring his development in the K League 1 closely until the summer and then “look to find a suitable loan for him next season.”

A loan move to the Championship next season would see him join countrymen Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City and Eom Ji-sung of Swansea City. Yang is due to return to Spurs in May.

Yun’s debut at Brighton would make him the first Korean male footballer to play for the club. The women’s team saw Korean women’s national team regular pick Lee Geum-min play from 2020 to 2024.

Brighton, sitting in seventh place on the Premier League table, have played in the top tier since earning promotion in 2017. The club has not been a serious league title contender, finishing in 15th, 17th, 15th and 16th in its first four seasons after promotion.

But the club has performed better in recent seasons, seeing a sixth-place finish in the 2022-23 campaign and finishing 11th last season.

Yun is set to jet off to England in the middle of the ongoing 2025 K League 1 season, which kicked off in February.

The 18-year-old has featured in five matches in the league and recorded his first goal contribution this season with an assist against defending champions Ulsan HD on Tuesday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]