Arsenal announce the signing of 16-year-old star Wales youth defender from Premier League rival, who will join the academy as a first-year scholar

Arsenal have signed a promising 16-year-old centre-back from the youth team of one of their Premier League rivals.

The senior team currently leads the race for the English top-flight title, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and one point ahead of third-placed Manchester City.

The young gunners reached the FA Youth Cup final last year, that they lost to West Ham, and have strengthened their promising squad by seeking a new addition from another Premier League academy.

Brayden Clarke, 16, joins Arsenal as a first-year scholarship player, having spent his early years in the Wolves academy. according to the gunners website.

Clarke, who will turn 17 in July, played 10 games for Wolves under-18s before moving south.

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Clarke was a member of the Wales under-17 team that reached the European Championship final last year, the first to reach a major final since 1981.

He was announced on Saturday morning and immediately entered the Arsenal under-18 starting line-up when they hosted Crystal Palace in a league match later that day.

The Gunners led that game 4-1 at half-time.

Jack Wilshere’s under-18s were knocked out of this year’s FA Youth Cup after a heavy 7-1 defeat to Liverpool in January.

Mikel Arteta’s senior team has no game this weekend due to a rescheduled league match due to Chelsea’s FA Cup commitments.

On Tuesday night, they beat Porto on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will face Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich.

Their next outing is a trip to Manchester City on March 31, which could prove pivotal in the title race.