Brighton signs left-back Jaouen Hadjam from Young Boys for €12 million

Brighton & Hove Albion have added another piece to their defensive puzzle, confirming the signing of left-back Jaouen Hadjam from Swiss side BSC Young Boys for a reported fee of €12 million (£10.3 million) including potential add-ons. The deal, finalized on August 25, makes Hadjam the club’s eighth acquisition of the summer transfer window. For a player who cost Young Boys just €1.3 million when he arrived in Bern in January 2024, that’s roughly a 9x return in under three years. From Paris FC to the Premier League Hadjam’s career trajectory reads like a well-executed scouting operation played out across three countries. Born in France on March 26, 2003, to Algerian parents, the 23-year-old started his professional journey at Paris FC before moving to Nantes for a modest €300,000 fee in January 2023. That stint at Nantes proved to be a launching pad. His performances caught the attention of Young Boys, who brought him to Switzerland a year later for €1.3 million. Over the next two and a half years, Hadjam racked up more than 70 appearances in the Swiss Super League. His total career transfer fees now sit at roughly €1.6 million across his first two moves. Brighton’s €12 million ...