Yoon Do-young (19) signed a five-year contract with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and will immediately be loaned to Excelsior in the Netherlands' Eredivisie for one year.
Yoon Do-young will depart for the Netherlands on the 14th, complete a TES, and then join the team's preseason training.
Brighton has opted for a step-by-step development approach through a loan, rather than immediately integrating Yoon Do-young into the first team.
Brighton has given Yoon Do-young the option to choose among several loan clubs, and Yoon Do-young selected Excelsior himself. He judged that the diverse tactical environment of the Dutch league would be suitable for his growth.
Excelsior is a team that returned to the Eredivisie after being promoted last season following relegation in the 2023-2024 season. Yoon Do-young will compete for a starting position and will have his debut season on the European stage. His matchup with Hwang In-beom, a national team midfielder from Feyenoord in the same league, is also drawing interest.
Brighton's decision is an extension of the existing development model that nurtures Asian prospects through loans. A representative case is Japan's Kaoru Mitoma.
Mitoma established himself as a key player after joining Brighton's first team following a loan to Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian league. Yoon Do-young is also expected to follow a similar path. There is a possibility he will continue to gain experience in higher leagues through a return to Brighton after his loan at Excelsior or another loan.
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