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Union Set a New Transfer Record After Signing Some Random Guy Out of Sweden Who Will Undoubtedly Become an All-Star
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After weeks of assorted reporting, the Union made official on Wednesday morning the signing of Ezekiel Alladoh:
CHESTER, Pa. (December 3, 2025) – Philadelphia Union announced today that the club has agreed to a deal with Swedish Allsvenskan side, IF Brommapojkarna, for the transfer of forward Ezekiel Alladoh. The acquisition marks the largest transfer fee in club history. Alladoh is guaranteed through 2028 with club options for 2029 and 2030. The Ghanaian forward will be added to the Union’s active roster following receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P1 Visa and will occupy an international roster slot.
“Ezekiel is a talented young striker who has shown encouraging potential in a competitive European league,” said Philadelphia Union Head Coach, Bradley Carnell. “His pace, directness, and vertical movement provide a strong foundation, and at 6’3” he brings strength and an undeniable presence to the position. His work rate and high-level mentality align well with our system, and we’re excited to welcome him to Philadelphia as he continues to develop his game.”
Alladoh, 20, joins the Union after an impressive season in Sweden’s top flight with IF Brommapojkarna, where he scored eight goals and registered one assist in 32 appearances across all competitions. Recently, he scored the game winner against IFK Göteborg in an away match on September 21, 2025. Before moving to Europe, he played in the Ghana Premier League with Accra Lions, netting three goals and one assist in 14 matches after joining from Atlantic Sports Academy in 2024. He made his professional debut on September 8, 2024, against Medeama SC, and scored his first professional goal later that month on September 22 against Karela United FC, netting the equalizer in the 90th minute. IF Brommapojkarna is known for developing players such as Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall. Internationally, Alladoh was named to Ghana’s provisional roster for the 2024 WAFU Zone B U-20 Cup of Nations.
Tom Bogert and others report the transfer fee is around $4.5 million, which eclipses the ~$3.4 million they paid for Bruno Damiani ahead of this past season.
This fee doesn’t even scratch the top 100 of inbound MLS transfer fees, but it’s a lot for the U and it’s good to see them spend within their conservative, Moneyball framework. They won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield with one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Soccer, but they can win more trophies and go further in the playoffs if they continue to invest in the first team and foreign transfers on top of the success they’ve had promoting through the youth academy and procuring diamonds from the European and South American rough.
What’s funny is that this is such a prototypical Union signing, bringing in a 20-year-old Ghanaian guy from a Swedish team nobody has ever heard of. He was the third-leading scorer on this team in 2025. I’ve been writing on and off about soccer for 15 years now and have never heard of “IF Brommapojkarna.” It looks like they’ve been bouncing back and forth via promotion and relegation going back to 2007. They’ve never finished better than 10th place in the Swedish first division, but allegedly have a really good youth system and value young players. The press release mentions guys like Viktor Gyökeres and Dejan Kulusevski, who found their way to the Premier League.
Anyway, let’s welcome Ezekiel Alladoh to the greater Philadelphia region. There’s no doubt in my mind this guy goes on to score 10+ goals and make a future All-Star squad. This one has “Ernst Tanner classic” written all over it. He’s been pulling gems out of random teams for seven years now.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com