Arsenal Are Reportedly On The Brink Of Securing The Signature Of 16-Year-Old Defender Brayden Clarke
Arsenal Are Reportedly On The Brink Of Securing The Signature Of 16-Year-Old Defender Brayden Clarke
According to reports, Arsenal are close to finalizing a deal for 16-year-old defender Brayden Clarke. The young talent, born in 2007, has progressed through the youth ranks at Wolverhampton Wanderers since joining the club in 2017. Impressively, he was already featuring in the Under-18 Premier League at the age of 14.
During the 2022-23 season, Clarke appeared in six matches for Wolves’ Under-18 side, finding the net once. He continued his development with nine more appearances in the early part of the current campaign.
Notably, Clarke is the son of former Scotland international defender Nigel Quashie, who had a distinguished career playing for clubs like Portsmouth, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, West Bromwich Albion, and West Ham United. Able to operate as a centre-back or right-back, Clarke last played for Wolves against Manchester United on December 2 and recently announced his departure from the club via Instagram.
“After seven years at Wolves, the time has come for me to move onto a new chapter,” he wrote. “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.”
Several Premier League teams have reportedly shown interest in signing Clarke, who has also represented Wales Under-17s, starting in all three group games at last year’s European Championships.
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According to The Athletic, Arsenal have emerged victorious in the competition to secure the defender’s services, and they will not have to pay any transfer fee as he joins them as a free agent.
Newcastle was reportedly among four other Premier League clubs vying to persuade Clarke to join their ranks, but he has ultimately opted to join Arsenal’s renowned Hale End academy.
Having departed Wolves without making a senior team appearance, Clarke will now integrate into Arsenal’s youth setup in North London, joining fellow prospects such as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Amario Cozier-Duberry.
Nwaneri, who is just slightly older than Clarke, became the youngest player in the Premier League at 15 years and 181 days when he made his debut against Brentford in September 2022. He also featured in Arsenal’s 6-0 victory over West Ham United earlier this year.
Arsenal secured Nwaneri with a new contract last year amid interest from other clubs in England. Additionally, 17-year-old midfielder Lewis-Skelly signed his first professional contract in October.
The Gunners are also in the process of extending Cozier-Duberry’s contract, which expires at the end of the season. The attacker is reportedly attracting interest from Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund.
