A teenager from South Korea costing only £2 million and hailed as one of the most exciting winger prospects in the world… Yoon Du-young appears to be the ultimate Brighton signing.
The Albion have paid £2 million for the services of the 18-year-old, who moves to the Amex from K League 1 side Daejeon Hana Citizen.
Yoon will not qualify for a British Work Permit for 2025-26 and so will spend at least next season out on loan. It is a path well trodden by young players signed by Brighton.
Such as Kaoru Mitoma, who spent a year with Union Saint-Gilloise before rocking up in Sussex and turning the Premier League upside down.
Hey, we managed to get four paragraphs into this before the inevitable comparison with Mitoma. But when you delve into the fledgling career so far of Yoon, the similarities between him and the Albion’s current superstar winger hailing from the other side of the Sea of Japan are striking.
Yoon Du-Young – his career so far
Yoon was signed by Daejeon aged 12. By the time he turned 15, he was already a regular in their Under 18s side. He stepped up to the Reserves for the 2023-24 season, playing fourth tier football in the K League system aged only 17.
After three goals and three assists from nine appearances, Yoon was handed his first team debut. He became the youngest player in Daejeon history in the process at 17 years, 6 months and 27 days old.
Yoon has now played 23 matches for Daejeon. He has one goal and three assists to his name. Whilst those numbers may not appear particularly impressive, they have come playing in a side who spent most of the 2024 K League season battling relegation before eventually finishing 8th of 12th teams.
Yoon on the international stage
Where Yoon has really caught the eye is on the international stage. He has played 27 times for South Korea between Under 16s and Under 20s level, scoring 13 goals.
He helped South Korea Under 20s to the semi finals of the Asian Cup in February, where they lost on penalties to Saudi Arabia. But reaching the final four means South Korea qualify for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup this summer.
Yoon is already being tipped as one of the players to keep an eye on at the tournament, held in Chile. South Korea have an excellent recent track record, having finished runners up in 2019 and fourth in 2023.
It will not be the first time Yoon has gone into an international competition with individual pressure hanging over him. Ahead of the 2023 Under 17 World Cup, he was named by FIFA as one of the top three players from Asia to watch.
“A skilful dribbler who boasts the ability to contribute vital goals with his cultured left foot,” is how they described Yoon.
It was not though a good tournament for South Korea. They finished bottom of their group, losing all three matches to France, United States and Burkina Faso.
What Brighton can expect from Yoon Du-young
The most obvious place to start when looking at what Yoon Du-Young will bring to the Brighton party is with his dribbling ability.
He is fast, has quick footwork and excellent close control. It would not be a surprise to find out that Yoon wrote a thesis on dribbling when enrolled at Chungnam Mechanical Technical High School whilst turning out for Daejeon Under 18s. If you get my drift…
Yoon does not shy away from the physical side of the game, either. He uses his ability on the ball to draw fouls from opponents.
Something that will be more useful to the Albion now with Pervis Estupinan and Danny Welbeck suddenly scoring from direct free kicks this season.
Is Yoon the next Kaoru Mitoma
Skills wise, Yoon obviously sounds like Mitoma. And you could easily imagine the South Korean teenager seamlessly taking over from Mitoma when the Japanese Bullet Train gets his deserved big money move to Barcelona or Bayern Munch in the summer of 2026.
But there is one big difference between Mitoma and Yoon. Mitoma is a right footed, inverted winger who thrives cutting inside off the left flank. Yoon is the opposite as a left footed, inverted winger who thrives cutting inside off the right flank.
A more suitable comparison for Yoon – and it is one that has been made in several places – would be with Arjen Robben.
What is interesting about Yoon is that he has scarcely played anywhere other than on the right wing in his career so far – unlike most young players Brighton sign, who come with obvious versatility having played in multiple positions.
Alexis Mac Allister arrived experienced as a number 10, a central midfielder and a holding player. Julio Enciso could play wide, number 10 or as a false nine. Facundo Buonanotte ticked the same boxes.
Valentin Barco was a left back, left midfielder and defensive midfielder for Boca Juniors before his arrival at the Amex.
This suggests one of two things. Either the Albion think they can make Yoon more versatile once they get their hands on him.
Watch his highlight reel and you can certainly see an argument that he might work on the opposite side or through the middle.
Or they think he will develop into a good enough right winger for it not to matter that he cannot fulfil multiple roles. Ala Mitoma, who has never really strayed beyond the left.
Will Yoon be a success at Brighton
With his career path so far and the data which Tony Bloom’s number bods have presumably poured over, everything points to Yoon having the potential to become a superstar.
Not that this always translates to success, of course. Barco was supposed to be the same when signed from Boca for £7.8 million.
Yet just 12 months later, he was sent to Strasbourg with a rumoured mandatory buy clause in the loan deal having failed to fire during a temporary spell with Seville.
At just £2 million though, Yoon Du-young represents a relatively low cost gamble for Brighton. And even if it doesn’t work on the pitch, Paul Barber OBE is undoubtedly already rubbing his hands together with glee at the potential merchandise sales Yoon will bring.
Get saving for that pre-season tour of South Korea in 2028.
