Another Atlanta United Academy product is heading to Europe.
According to The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, winger Gabriel Wesseh will sign for Fredrikstad SK in the Norwegian top flight.
Wesseh, 17, led Atlanta United 2 in assists (7) during the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season, helping the team have its best-ever season and nearly make the playoffs for the first time.
Having joined the academy in 2024 and then moved to the second team in 2025, Wesseh exemplified the tremendous growth that players can experience on Atlanta United’s player development pathway. Although Atlanta reportedly wanted to keep him, Wesseh will now sign with one of the most successful clubs in Norway.
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Every week, Scarves and Spikes brings you original interviews, on-site coverage, live shows/podcasts, and the analysis you won’t find at the bigger national outlets. With 2026 being a World Cup year, Atlanta United facing yet another important transfer window, the U.S. Soccer National Training Center setting up shop in the Atlanta area, and NWSL Atlanta kicking off in 2028, your support helps us do even more.
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[…] We have already seen the annual reset of the 2s with a large group of players departing and the first multi-player announcement of the offseason. Santiago Pita, Jonathan Ransom, and James Donaldson all signed their first contracts and have been active in preseason training with the first team. We also saw the talented 2s winger Gabriel Wesseh depart the club for Norway. […]
I guess he was effectively a free agent and we don’t receive any compensation for him?
Correct. He was an unsigned academy player, so there’s no transfer fee.
so is he just going to be sitting around until May? I can’t imagine that being good for development.