Our last movement of the summer 2024 window saw us bring in forward Jake Young; the move calling for a sizeable investment by us. The fee isn’t common knowledge, but it was said to include add-ons and a “sizeable” sell-on deal. There was also a sense that it was a deal that suited all parties. By many accounts, things hadn’t quite gone quite as hoped for the striker at Bradford City. In his two years there, he’d been out on loan as many times. So, he got a fresh break. At the same time, we got someone who could solve our scoring woes. And the Bantams got cash.

The deal itself took some time to thrash out. Again, the reports suggest we had to tread carefully due to the financial rules in place. At the same time, the Bantams wanted it to work out for them. As such, it pretty much went down to a proverbial wire at the end of the transfer window. The most important matter is the deal did get done – and we had a reputable striker through the door. And you can consider him worth the effort given the fact we’d laid out a fair bit of money to land him. It wasn’t exactly the Boro’ way in the transfer market. Sometimes, however, you just have to.

Jake Young: Before Boro’

A native of Huddersfield, Young’s career started in West Yorkshire and his first senior side – albeit at youth level – was Guiseley. After a couple of years there, the forward moved on to Sheffield United. Sadly, for him, it didn’t turn out to be the big break for Young and he was released before making his pro debut. The honour of handing that milestone to him fell upon Forest Green Rovers in 2020. At the New Lawn, Young started to make a name for himself and it landed him a move back north to Bradford. Loan spells at Barrow and Swindon Town would then line up next on his CV.