The Express & Star and Evening Standard both report that Arsenal are on the verge of signing 16-year-old Brayden Clarke after the up-and-coming defender announced his departure from Wolves.
Clarke, the son of former QPR and Portsmouth midfielder Nigel Quashie, is a Wales under-17 international and will join as a free agent.
The teenager was on the radar of several Premier League clubs including Newcastle, for whom he featured in an under-18s game in January.
Posting on Instagram over the weekend, Clarke confirmed he was drawing a line under his time at Molineux:
“After 7 years at Wolves, the time has come for me to move onto a new chapter. 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.”
It’s not unusual for Arsenal to recruit to the academy – Arsene Wenger made a habit of scouring Europe for top talents before the rules were tweaked – but making a talked-about move to N5 doesn’t guarantee graduation to the first team.
You only have to look at Lino Sousa’s move from West Brom in 2022 and his subsequent departure to Aston Villa in January to understand how blocked pathways can lead to quick exits.
Assuming his deal is confirmed, Clarke has a long road ahead.
It’s too late for him to play in tonight’s game but he should definitely start at the Etihad against City.
That’s the most positive things you’ve ever said, Fats 🤣
Fatsastic!
😀
Nice one.
The next Bill Saliba
Hope so 🙏
Looks like Neymar’s little brother to me. Hope he is tougher and has less passion for money.
For some reason, he looks a bit like the ‘Ox’ to me!
Interesting that you mention the Lino Sousa example.. I was all for giving him a go but I’m sure there is potential to gain off that deal if Lino does progress as I’d expect… When we signed Pepe I had the same concerns about the route for one Bukayo Saka… We have two coming through right now who I think will need paths cleared for them if we intend to persuade them to stay – Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly – it’s a tricky balance as you don’t know it talent will translate to results – but it hurts when you see… Read more »
Nigel Quashie! Haven’t heard that name in a while.
Went to school with him in Peckham (Nunhead). He was one of the biggest twats you could imagine at such a young age. Head so far up his you know what
Hahahahahaha