Promising Wolves defender's Molineux exit confirmed as defender makes Arsenal debut against Crystal Palace

Brayden Clarke’s Wolves exit has been officially confirmed.

The 16-year-old defender was unveiled as an Arsenal player on Saturday morning - and walked straight into the Gunners’ under-18 team for their 3-0 win against Crystal Palace. Clarke played the full 90 minutes as he moved swiftly on from his Molineux upbringing, with the Wales youth international joining the club as a nine-year-old.

The central defender has signed as a first-year scholar for the north London outfit after featuring 18 times for Wolves’ under-18s over the past three seasons.

Clarke revealed he was leaving Gary O’Neil’s outfit earlier this month. He posted on Instagram: “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.” However, seeing him in an Arsenal shirt for the first time will still come as a blow for everyone at the Wolves Academy.

Speaking about Clarke last year, elite player development manager at Wolves, Darren Ryan, said: “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.

"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 a big change in him getting more confident.

"He's really finding his feet and becoming comfortable in the under-18s at Wolves, which has helped him play a year above for his national team as well.

"The background with his family helps. Nigel and his mum Kerry are really level-headed and both understand the academy system. It's a fantastic achievement for Brayden, and now we need him to have a strong finish to the season and keep getting games under his belt."

Clarke’s last game for Wolves came against Manchester United under-18s in December.