Chelsea Beat Arsenal To Signature Of English Wonderkid

With the summer transfer window set to open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Isaiah Brown.

Chelsea have beaten off stiff competition from Arsenal to secure the signature of West Bromwich Albion’s  highly-rated starlet Isaiah Brown, according to the Mirror.

The 16-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the hottest young talents in England after starring for the Baggies youth team last season, and he made his senior debut for the club as a substitute against Wigan Athletic in May.

The reports claims his impressive form has lead to interest from the upper echelons of the Premier League with Arsenal and Chelsea believed to be among the clubs keen to lure him away from the Hawthorns.

It appears the Blues have won the race, with the Mirror suggesting that Brown has elected to move to Stamford Bridge this summer after being offered a lucrative deal by the Europa League winners.

No official transfer fee will be paid to West Brom as he’s not yet 17 and is therefore not under contract, but an independent tribunal will assess the case and decide on an appropriate compensation deal.

Snapping up the young talent has become common-place for the League’s top clubs in recent years and it’s a system that’s come under criticism in the past as clubs like WBA are only paid small compensation for a player that would otherwise be worth a lot more if he were under contract.

But the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea are acting well within the laws of the game, so unless the rules are changes we’ll continue to see ‘wonderkid’s’ like Isaiah Brown lured away by big-money contracts.

Read more Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news

Do you think the system is correct? How do you feel about the top clubs signing youth talent for minimal compensation? Get involved in the comments section below.