The Saudi Pro League will see a new striker bagging goals this term, in a move no one saw coming
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Saudi Pro League transfer window closed on Monday night, with sides finalising their teams for the 2024/25 season.
Ivan Toney had already completed his move to Al-Ahli on Friday for £40m, while the speculation over a blockbuster deal for Victor Osimhen never came to fruition.
That's not to say there hasn't been an eyebrow-raising signing completed, however, as Al-Orobah added to their squad which contained the likes of Kurt Zouma, Jean Michael Seri, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and former Barcelona winger Cristian Tello.
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Signing Brad Young from Welsh side The New Saints for £190k, Al-Orobah finalised a shock, and unexpected, deal for the Englishman.
Just 21, Young won the Cymru Premier's golden boot last term by scoring 29 goals in 35 games in all competitions, with his finishing help the side to the Welsh double. He started the 2024/25 season strongly, too, bagging on three occasions in qualifying for the Conference League as TNS booked their spot in the European competition - the first time a team from the Welsh league will compete on the continent.
Young, though, won't get to enjoy the fruits of his labour and play against the likes of Fiorentina and Panathinaikos, instead switching for the Saudi Pro Leauge at the last minute.
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Young playing for TNS (Image credit: Getty Images)
And while TNS would have preferred not to lose the Aston Villa academy graduate, chairman Mike Harris understands Young's decision.
"It's life changing for him and his family," Harris told BBC Radio Wales' Breakfast programme. "We're not a club who are really looking to sell players but ultimately the offer to the young man was extemely good and it does help put our club and the Welsh league on the map, because it's not normal for big transfer fees to be involved when it comes to Welsh Premier sides.
Young will play with Zouma in Saudi Arabia (Image credit: Getty Images)
"We'd had a lot of enquiries about Brad with scouts appearing at our games last season, obviously the talent of the young man was there to be seen.
"So we weren't surprised but we're probably a little suprised at the speed the deal came around, obviously with preparing for Europe during the summer it would have been a lot more convenient if the enquiry had happened in May."
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
