MK Dons have completed the signing of Chelsea striker Charlie Brown on a permanent basis.
Brown, 21, joins the Dons after spending the last four-and-a-half years with the Premier League Blues.
The left-footed attacker moved to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town in 2016 and went on to become a regular goal-threat for Chelsea’s youth sides. In 108 appearances for their Under-23s, Under-19s and Under-18s, Brown scored 53 goals and provided 12 assists, contributing to a goal every 87 minutes.
Six of his 53 Chelsea goals were against EFL opposition in the Papa John’s Trophy, while he was also crowned UEFA Youth League top goalscorer during the 2018/19 season, after netting 12 times in just nine appearances.
“I’m over the moon to be here,” Brown told mkdons.com after completing his move to Stadium MK. “This is an opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I can’t wait to get on the pitch and show the fans what I can do.
“The Gaffer has got a really strong plan for the team and I’m really excited to be a part of that and have the opportunity to help the Club get to where it wants to be.
“I’ve seen the way the team plays, with a lot of possession and creating a lot of chances for the strikers. It’s going to be up to me to finish those chances off and I’ll be looking to do that as often as I can!”
Brown joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in summer of 2016, despite never making a first-team appearance for the Tractor Boys.
In his maiden season at Stamford Bridge, the striker netted 10 goals in 20 league appearances for Chelsea’s Under-18s, including a terrific four-goal display as a second-half substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion.
During the 2017/18 campaign, Brown spent most of the season with the Under-18s, helping them to an unprecedented quadruple of trophies. He scored goals in the FA Youth Cup semi-final against Birmingham and Chelsea’s Under-18 Premier League Cup final against Tottenham.
He followed that season up by establishing himself at Under-23s level in 2018/19. Scoring 20 goals in 31 games, Brown also found the net 12 times in nine UEFA Youth League outings to win the competition’s Golden Boot award.
Last term, he joined Belgian side Royale Union SG on loan and returned to Brussels at the start of this season too, after three Belgian First Division B performances in 2019/20. He returned to Chelsea in October, ahead of this move to Stadium MK.
Manager Russell Martin said: “Charlie is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while now and when it transpired that we could sign him, we jumped at the chance.
“He’s shown a lot of intent to come and play for MK Dons – turning down some more lucrative offers because he believes in what we’re doing here.
“I believe the way we play and the culture we’re building will suit him really well. He’s scored a lot of goals at youth level but I believe we can improve him even further.
“In the long term, he’s going to be a very, very good signing for the Football Club and I’m confident, once we get him up to speed, he will help us in the short-term as well.”