{"id":911036,"date":"2026-06-07T13:13:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/07\/zadok-yohanna-to-brighton-two-key-factors-behind-super-eagles-invitees-move\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T13:13:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:13:15","slug":"zadok-yohanna-to-brighton-two-key-factors-behind-super-eagles-invitees-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/07\/zadok-yohanna-to-brighton-two-key-factors-behind-super-eagles-invitees-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Zadok Yohanna to Brighton: Two key factors behind Super Eagles invitee\u2019s move"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

AIK’s Zadok Yohanna. Copyright: ImagoxJESPERxZERMAN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna has explained his decision to join\u00a0Brighton & Hove Albion\u00a0from AIK ahead of other suitors,\u00a0Soccernet.ng<\/u><\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The highly rated youngster has\u00a0completed a move to the Premier League club on\u00a0a five-year deal, which could keep him at the Amex Stadium until 2031. The Seagulls beat competition from several top clubs, including Newcastle United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and RB Leipzig, to secure his signature.<\/p>\n

Yohanna was one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe after impressive performances for AIK in 2026, where he scored five goals and provided four assists in 12 appearances across all competitions.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Zadok Yohanna celebrates for AIK. Copyright: xPhilipxKangasx\/xSPPxImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Newcastle United\u00a0<\/u>had emerged as frontrunners for his signature<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and were close to an agreement at one stage, while interest from\u00a0Chelsea\u00a0<\/u><\/a>and Manchester City also threatened to derail Brighton\u2019s pursuit.<\/p>\n

Soccer Zadok\u00a0Yohanna\u00a0explains decision behind Brighton\u2019s move<\/h2>\n

Nigerian teenage sensation Zadok Yohanna\u00a0has\u00a0enjoyed a remarkable rise in his\u00a0career after moving from Ikon Allah Academy in Nigeria to AIK in 2025\u00a0and has now agreed a move to one of the most competitive football leagues in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brighton eventually won the race for his signature after agreeing a\u00a0\u20ac30 million deal with AIK, which is structured as\u00a0a\u00a0\u20ac28 million fixed fee and\u00a0\u20ac2 million in performance-related add-ons.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
AIK and Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna. Copyright: JONATHANxN\u00c4CKSTRANDxImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The transfer makes Yohanna the most expensive player ever sold by a Swedish club, surpassing the\u00a0\u20ac20 million Tottenham Hotspur paid Djurg\u00e5rden for Lucas Bergvall in 2024. It is also AIK\u2019s record sale,\u00a0eclipsing\u00a0the\u00a0\u20ac8.6 million Borussia Dortmund paid for Alexander Isak in 2017.<\/p>\n

In his first interview as a Brighton player, Yohanna\u00a0mentioned\u00a0the club\u2019s strong record of developing young players\u00a0as a major reason behind his decision to join.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDevelopment. The way they develop players\u201d,\u00a0the Nigerian youngster<\/u>\u00a0said<\/u>, v<\/u>ia Brighton\u2019s official YouTube channel.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cI watch Premier League games a lot. I know the team that uses young players, and Brighton is one of them. They are really good at developing young talents.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The 18-year-old, who plays\u00a0primarily\u00a0as a left-footed right winger, also highlighted Brighton\u2019s playing style as another\u00a0factor,\u00a0which will enable him thrive in the league.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTheir style of play. I think it will fit me a lot\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the way they play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Soccer First\u00a0conversation with\u00a0Fabian H\u00fcrzeler<\/h2>\n
\"Soccer
Brighton and Hove Albion Manager Fabian Hurzeler. Copyright: ImagoxAidanxHunter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yohanna will now work with Brighton manager Fabian H\u00fcrzeler following his move to the club and will be hoping to make a big impact under the young German manager.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe told me to keep my head up and keep fighting, and to work hard as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Soccer Target\u00a0as a Brighton\u00a0player<\/h2>\n

Zadok Yohanna has now become Brighton\u2019s first addition of the summer transfer window and will officially complete his move to the club once the window opens on June 15.<\/p>\n

The 18-year-old also expressed delight and has set a clear target to help the club achieve silverware in the coming seasons.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria and AIK star Zadok Yohanna. Copyright: JESPERxZERMANxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m really happy. I know where I came from, and I want to make my family proud.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cI will give everything I have, and I really want to win trophies with the team\u201d, he\u00a0added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yohanna\u00a0has now become the sixth Nigerian to move to Brighton,\u00a0joining the increasing\u00a0list of Nigerians in the Premier League\u00a0as he now prepares for the next step in his career.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Ayomide Oguntimehin” src=”https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/ycGEJDr9VZlpO_5zujn3ZdvICxA=\/150×150\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2024%2F12%2FAyomide-Oguntimehin-pics.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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\n\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.<\/p>\n

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master\u2019s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Ayomide Oguntimehin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer AIK’s Zadok Yohanna. Copyright: ImagoxJESPERxZERMAN Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna has explained his decision to join\u00a0Brighton & Hove Albion\u00a0from AIK ahead of other suitors,\u00a0Soccernet.ng\u00a0reports. The highly rated youngster has\u00a0completed a move to the Premier League club on\u00a0a five-year deal, which could keep him at the Amex Stadium until 2031. The Seagulls beat competition from several […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":911037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2005,149657,149656],"tags":[149655,149654],"class_list":["post-911036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","category-yohanna","category-zadok","tag-yohanna","tag-zadok"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=911036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=911036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=911036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=911036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}