Brighton sign Nigerian striker Valentin Joseph from Blackburn Rovers

Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed the signing of Nigerian teenager Valentin Joseph from Championship club Blackburn Rovers.

The 18-year-old becomes the second highly talented Nigerian teenager to join Brighton this summer, following Zadok Yohanna’s move to the Premier League club.

Yohanna joined Brighton for an Allsvenskan-record fee of €28 million and is expected to be part of the first-team setup at the American Express Stadium. Joseph, however, will initially continue his development with Brighton’s Under-21 side.

The striker arrives after an outstanding final season with Blackburn Rovers, during which he scored 21 goals in all competitions. Nine of those goals came in the FA Youth Cup, making Joseph the competition’s leading scorer as Blackburn progressed to the semi-finals.

Brighton announced the transfer on their official website. Joseph had mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Blackburn Rovers, allowing the move to the Seagulls to be completed.

He has signed a three-year contract with Brighton, which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2028-29 season.

Joseph already has experience of Under-21 football. In his final campaign with Blackburn Rovers, he recorded seven goal involvements in 18 appearances across Premier League 2, the Premier League Cup and the National League Cup.

His arrival adds another promising Nigerian forward to Brighton’s development structure, while the club continues to assess his progress with the Under-21 team.

Unlike Yohanna, whose move was completed with a view to involvement in first-team football, Joseph’s immediate focus will be adapting to Brighton’s academy environment after a prolific campaign at Blackburn.

His nine FA Youth Cup goals were a significant part of his 21-goal total last season, and helped Blackburn Rovers reach the semi-finals of the competition.

The move also marks the next stage of a rapid rise for Joseph, who has now secured a long-term contract with Brighton after ending his time at Blackburn Rovers by mutual consent.