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Jayden Nelson, once considered to be a future star for Toronto FC, is now with Rosenborg BK of the Norwegian First Division.
TFC announced on Wednesday afternoon – after photos of Nelson already in Trondheim, Norway had surfaced on social media – that the club has accepted an offer and agreed to terms to transfer the Toronto native to Rosenborg. According to TV2 in Norway, the transfer fee is said to be between $800,000 and $1 million.
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“It has been a pleasure to work with Jayden and see his progress here at his hometown club,” said TFC head coach and Sporting Director Bob Bradley. “We knew Jayden always had the ambition to play in Europe, and when the right opportunity presented itself, we worked diligently with the player to secure the move. We are excited for him to take the next step in his professional journey.”
Nelson, 20, has made 50 appearances across all competitions since he joined TFC as a Homegrown Player on Jan. 23, 2020. His lone goal for the Reds came when Nelson scored the equalizer in the 79th minute against Real Salt Lake on April 9, 2022. In the same season, the winger was part of the squad that won the postponed 2020 Canadian Championship (played on June 4, 2022) after defeating Forge FC 5-4 on penalties. Nelson made his First Team debut during the MLS is Back tournament against New York City FC on July 26, 2020. Prior to signing with the First Team, Nelson appeared in 14 matches for Toronto FC II during the 2019 USL League One regular season. He made his professional debut with Toronto FC II on April 6, 2019, when he came off the bench against Orlando City B.
Internationally, Nelson received his first call-up to the Canadian Men’s National Team (CMNT) and made his senior debut in a friendly match against Barbados on January 7, 2020. He scored his first goal with the CMNT against Barbados on Jan. 10, 2020. Nelson also represented Canada at the 2019 Concacaf Men’s U-17 Championship, where he scored five goals (including a hat-trick against Guatemala) in six appearances as Canada qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time since 2013.
There has been speculation for years that Nelson and 18-year-old Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty would be moved to European clubs. Marshall-Rutty, who is still with TFC, has garnered interest from some top European clubs.
When asked by TV 2 in Norway about coming to Rosenborg, Nelson said: “There is a lot of history here and they can help me develop into the player I want to be. It’s great.”
“What we can say about him is that he is here and for a medical check-up. Then all the papers must be arranged. Until then, we have to wait. We cannot go out and say that it is ready until it is ready, RBK coach Kjetil Rekdal told TV2 prior to TFC’s announcement. “He is a player with extreme speed and a good dribbler. He can give us something that we have too little of: Extreme pace. He can play in several roles and gives us greater flexibility in the offensive game. He has a very clear X-factor, so we hope that people will like him, that he can draw a few extra people to Lerkendal stadium and that he can help entertain.”
On Tuesday, TFC announced the signing of Norwegian defender Sigurd Rosted, 28, from Danish club Brøndby – three-year deal with an option for 2026 using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
The Reds played their first exhibition match in the Coachella Valley Invitational near Palm Springs on Wednesday against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Reds open the MLS regular season on Feb.25 at DC United with the home opener at BMO Field on March 11 against the Columbus Crew.
