Nigerian teenager Zadok Yohanna says Brighton & Hove Albion's reputation for developing young players was what convinced him to choose the Premier League club, despite interest from some of Europe's biggest-spending teams.
The 18-year-old winger agreed to join Brighton from Swedish side AIK Stockholm on a five-year contract until June 2031 in a move that will be completed when the transfer window opens on June 15.
The fee was undisclosed, although British media reports valued the deal at around £21.5 million.
Brighton announced the signing after beating off competition from Newcastle United, Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and several other clubs that tracked the Nigerian prodigy.
In his first interview with the club after signing, Yohanna pointed to the club's track record of nurturing young talent as the deciding factor for his choice: "Development.
"The way they develop players, because I watch Premier League games a lot, so I know the teams that use young players and Brighton is one of them.
"They are really good at developing young talents."
Yohanna's position was echoed by his agent, Andrei Balmos, who revealed that the player turned down more lucrative offers elsewhere to secure a move to the south coast club.
"We had bigger offers," Balmos told Greek publication England365. "From Premier League clubs and from Saudi Arabia as well.
"But we had to respect the player's wishes. He simply wanted to join Brighton."
Beyond that, the teenager also pointed to Brighton's style of play as having played a major role in his decision: "I think it will fit me a lot, the way they play."
Brighton have built a reputation as one of Europe's leading talent-development clubs, helping young signings such as Moisés Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma establish themselves at the highest level before attracting interest from some of the continent's biggest teams.
It was that reputation that helped the Seagulls win a fiercely contested race for Yohanna's signature, with Newcastle reportedly attempting to hijack the transfer at the last minute.
Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt were also among the clubs linked with the Nigerian winger during recent months, while reports in England and Sweden indicated that multiple clubs submitted offers before Brighton ultimately secured the deal.
The move marks a remarkable rise for a player who was virtually unknown outside Nigeria less than two years ago.
Discovered playing for local Nigerian club, Ikon Allah Football Academy, he was signed by AIK and broke into the first team in August 2025, quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in Scandinavian football.
This season, he has recorded two goals and three assists in seven Allsvenskan appearances while adding three goals and one assist in five Svenska Cupen matches.
Those performances earned him international recognition, with Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle handing the youngster his first senior Nigeria call-up for last month's Unity Cup in London and the subsequent international friendlies against Portugal and Poland.
But the teenager was ultimately unable to join the squad after AIK opted not to release him while he continued recovering from a minor injury.
Primarily deployed as an inverted right winger despite being naturally left-footed, Yohanna has caught the eye with his explosive dribbling, close control, acceleration and ability to beat defenders in one-on-one situations.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler believes those qualities can make him an exciting addition to the club.
"I'm looking forward to working with Zadok," Hurzeler said.
"Having seen his games and his attributes, he is a player that can impact games in the final third.
"He's still young, and will need time to adapt to the club and Premier League, but he's an exciting player to watch and he brings the kind of creativity we know our fans will enjoy."
Yohanna told the club media he has already spoken with Hurzeler about the next phase of his development: He just told me to just keep my head up and keep fighting, work hard."
And for Brighton supporters eager to see one of Africa's brightest young prospects in action, the teenager offered a simple promise: "I will give everything I have for the team, and I really want to win trophies with the team."