Brad Young, Welsh football’s top scorer last season, has made a surprise move to Saudi club Al-Orobah.
The 21-year-old Young has joined the recently promoted Saudi Pro League (SPL) club from The New Saints (TNS) for a fee of £190,000, reportedly a record fee for the Welsh top division.
The striker, who came through the youth ranks at Aston Villa, spent time on loan at Carlisle United and Ayr United before moving to TNS last summer.
The 21-year-old won the Cymru Premier Golden Boot in 2023-24 after scoring 22 goals as TNS completed a Welsh double.
However, he really came into the spotlight last summer, when he scored three goals in seven European qualifiers to secure a historic place for the Welsh side in the group stages of the UEFA Conference League.
TNS striker Brad Young has made a stunning move to Saudi club Al-Orobah
Young, Welsh football’s top scorer last season, has moved for a record £190,000
Young’s move to the recently promoted Saudi Pro League team was described as ‘life-changing’
His impressive run included two goals in the first leg of the Champions League qualifying round against Montenegrin team Decic.
However, Young will not be in the squad when TNS take on Panathinaikos and Fiorentina in the Conference League following his surprise transfer to the Middle East.
After the move was confirmed, TNS chairman Mike Harris indicated the club could not stand in Young’s way.
“It’s a life-changing event for him and his family,” Harris told BBC Radio Wales’ breakfast programme.
‘We are not a club that wants to sell players, but ultimately the offer made to the young man was exceptionally good and it helps put our club and the Welsh league on the map.
‘Because it is not normal for Welsh Premier League clubs to charge high transfer fees.
‘We had a lot of questions about Brad from scouts who attended our games last season and the young man’s talent was clearly visible.
“So we weren’t surprised, but we were probably a little surprised by the speed at which the deal was reached. Given the preparations for Europe in the summer, it would have been much more useful if the investigation had already taken place in May.”
Young’s remarkable rise is expected to continue in the Middle East, where he will be joined by new team-mates including fellow striker Kurt Zouma, who joined on loan from West Ham last weekend.
Former Fulham and Hull star Jean Michael Seri, who won the AFCON in 2023, is also at Al-Orobah, as is former Burnley midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
Young’s story is all the more remarkable as he was the victim of a serious knife attack in 2020 at the age of 17, putting his life and football career in jeopardy.
Young told Mail Sport last month that the wound was 12cm deep before he made a full recovery and won the FA Youth Cup with Villa the following season.
“I remember looking at my mom and dad and saying, ‘I love you,'” he said. “I remember thinking, with my hand on my heart, that I was going to die.
‘I lost a lot of blood, I was sweating and I really thought I was going to die.
Young’s remarkable rise will see him compete with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo this season
Young came through the youth ranks at Aston Villa before joining TNS last summer
‘When I was in the hospital and before they did the first blood transfusion, they finally let my mother in to come and see me – it was Covid time, so of course you couldn’t go to the hospital to visit people – and I was able to talk to her normally while they treated me and blocked the artery where the blood was everywhere.
‘Then I suddenly turned pale and started sweating as if I was in the shower.
‘Then they took my mother out of the hospital and said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen here.” Then I had three blood transfusions and that saved my life.’
And now, after his inspiring recovery, Young will go up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo as he plays for Al-Orobah, a team who have lost their first two games this season.