Since the Saudi-backed purchase, Newcastle United has prioritized bolstering their academy. However, Arsenal reportedly beat Newcastle United to recruit Wolverhampton Wanderers star Brayden Clarke.
The Magpies were rumored to be monitoring the 16-year-old’s position as part of their academy overhaul. Since the Saudi-backed acquisition, steps have been done to boost the club’s youth ranks, which had previously been neglected.
In the January transfer window, Alfie Harrison joined from Manchester City. Previous signings include highly regarded prospects such as Garang Kuol, Yankuba Minteh, and Alex Murphy.
Developing talent from the academy is a wise approach to ensuring compliance with FFP/PSR standards. Even if a player does not reach the first team, flipping them for a profit, as Chelsea and Manchester City do, can help generate more revenue.
However, Newcastle appear to have missed out on Wolves prodigy Clarke. The Wales under-17 international, who joined at Molineux aged nine, is likely to join Arsenal. According to football.london, the Gunners will also avoid paying compensation to the teenager, who can play wherever in the backline.
Mikel Arteta prefers centre-backs like Ben White who can cover a large area. Clarke indicated in a recent Instagram post that his days at Wolves are numbered, citing rumored interest from Arsenal and Newcastle.
“The time has come for me to move onto a new chapter,” he said. “I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, and I wish all of my teammates at Wolves the best of luck in the future.
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