Yoon Do-young is a man with a plan to soar at Brighton

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Yoon Do-young is a man with a plan to soar at Brighton

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 16:50 Updated: 22 Apr. 2025, 20:36

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Yoon Do-young poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at Deokam Football Center in Daejeon on April 8. [JOONGANG ILBO]

New Brighton & Hove Albion signee Yoon Do-young is looking forward to starting his career at the Premier League club, where he could rise to prominence and play against football stars like Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min.

“I’m going to work really hard so I can play with Son Heung-min someday,” Yoon said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, at Deokam Football Center in Daejeon on April 8.

Yoon, 18, inked a four-year deal with Brighton in March on a transfer reportedly worth around 3.76 billion won ($2.7 million), but has yet to officially join the squad as the transfer window does not reopen until July.

His deal came through after only making his professional debut at K League 1 club Daejeon Hana Citizen in January last year.

Yoon 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.

The winger 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 has also 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.

“They [Brighton] showed me a whole presentation on why they chose me, why the team needs me and how they plan to help me grow during a meeting before I signed the deal,” Yoon said. “Everything was laid out. I felt like if I went there, I could grow a lot.”

Yoon Do-young speaks to reporters at Deokam Football Center in Daejeon on April 8. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Other Premier League teams such as Chelsea, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers were eyeing Yoon, but he chose Brighton to follow in the footsteps of Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma.

“Brighton showed me Kaoru Mitoma’s development chart,” he said. “They showed how he spent a year on loan and then came back to become a regular pick at the Japanese national team. I thought, ‘I’m also an Asian player, and I want to follow that path.’”

Mitoma signed with Brighton in 2021 and spent a year on loan at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium to meet British work permit requirements. His market value skyrocketed during that period, reportedly hitting 72.7 billion won ($50.9 million).

Brighton & Hove Albion forward Kaoru Mitoma, right, vies for the ball during a Premier League match against Bournemouth at American Express Stadium in Brighton, England, on Feb. 25. [AP/YONHAP]

Brighton sees Yoon as the next Mitoma. Yoon is likely to spend a loan spell at a different team in Europe as Brighton 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.”

“Hwang In-beom [of Feyenoord] said to me, ‘Brighton sends someone to Feyenoord every year, so tell them you want to come here,’” Yoon said.

Spending a loan spell at a lower-tier club in the early stages of a player’s career is common, as Yang Min-hyeok also joined Championship club QPR on loan nearly a month after he moved to Tottenham this year.

“I saw how even Min-hyeok, who performed really well in the K League, struggled,” Yoon said. “So I thought, ‘This really won’t be easy.’”

Yoon has mostly played as a winger, but he is able to play as an attacking midfielder or shadow striker.

“People see me as a competitor for Min-hyeok, but I’m busy doing my business,” Yoon said. “I just support him. I’ve moved to my dream stage and a big club, but this one year will determine my fate."

Yoon’s idols are Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain.

“I want to showcase my clinical left-footed finish,” Yoon said. “I want to leave Daejeon after scoring four or five goals in the next two months and retaining the club’s frontrunner spot [on the K League 1 table.]”

Yoon has played as a regular right winger pick so far in the 2025 K League 1 season and picked up one assist across nine appearances.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]