The New Saints are delighted to announce the signing of Brad Young, subject to international clearance.
It’s been a productive summer window for the JD Cymru Premier champions, who saw off deadline day interest from a number of English Football League clubs to secure the signature of the highly-rated striker.
Born in Birmingham, Young initially represented West Bromwich Albion at youth level, before making the switch to Aston Villa at the age of 12.
He progressed through the ranks at Villa Park and became a regular for the club’s U18s, displaying his goalscoring prowess during the 2020/21 season with 21 goals across the U18 Premier League, Premier League 2 and FA Youth Cup.
The final goal of a fruitful campaign saw him score a penalty as Aston Villa beat Liverpool to lift the Youth Cup.
In the same season, the 20-year-old made his senior debut for the Villains in the FA Cup third round, also against Liverpool, when he was introduced as a 61st minute substitute.
He spent the initial half of 2021/22 on loan at Carlisle United, making 20 appearances for the Cumbrians. Scoring three goals, including one in the FA Cup, he played 14 times for the Blues in League Two.
Another loan switch, this time to Ayr United in the Scottish Championship, followed in 2022/23 and Young went on to score two goals in 13 appearances before he was recalled by his parent club in January.
“We have been working hard on it all week, and it came down to the very last minutes of the deadline, but we are very pleased to get the signing of Brad over the line,” head coach Craig Harrison said.
“Brad has a great pedigree. He’s been with an English Premier League club [Aston Villa] for a long time and has also been selected as part of the England U20 squad.
“He is still only young, but has lots of potential and we are looking forward to working with him on a daily basis. I think it’s a really good fit for both club and the player,” he added.
Brad was also pleased with the completion of his move to Park Hall and told tnsfc.co.uk earlier today: “I am really excited to be joining The New Saints.
“I am happy to have signed a deal here, and I can’t wait to get started and be back on the pitch with the passion that I have for it.”
Finally, the club’s chairman, Mike Harris, said the signing was yet further indication of The Saints’ ambitions of growing the domestic game in Wales.
“The New Saints continue to invest in high-quality young talent,” he said.
“Our aim is to build a team capable of competing in Europe and TNS will continue to push the bar of our domestic national league.”
Welcome to The New Saints, Brad.
Lead image courtesy of Aston Villa FC. Brad celebrates after scoring a penalty in Villa’s 2-1 FA Youth Cup final win against Liverpool.
