Arsenal confirm bargain transfer for wonderkid that could make debut immediately

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Wolves youngster Brayden Clarke. The teenager could make his debut for the club's Under-18 side as soon as Saturday afternoon.

Clarke joins as a Wales Under-17 international and had already confirmed his exit from the Midlands earlier in the month. «After 7 years at Wolves, the time has come for me to move onto a new chapter,» he wrote on Instagram after a deal was agreed between the two sides.

«I want to thank everybody who has helped me along the journey, and I wish all of my teammates at Wolves the best of luck for the future.» Clarke, 16, is understood to have joined for free with no compensation fee.

Clarke has played 18 times for Wolves at academy level since the 2021/22 season and was a regular in their Under-18 Premier League side for the past two years despite playing up at least two age groups. He can play both as a centre-back and right-back.

He has featured for the Wales Under-17 and Under-16 sides in the past 24 months as well, featuring prominently at the Under-17 European Championships last summer.

Speaking in 2023, elite player development manager at Wolves, Darren Ryan, said of Clarke, «He plays through the lines really well and he's very comfortable on the ball. Where he's developed a lot is his maturity and psychologically. He's a really young kid, so it's one massive achievement that he's got into that group, let alone the impact he's had.

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»His super strength is his passing through the lines, and his disguised passes as well. The way he's developed in the last 12-18 months, I've seen