Arsenal and Chelsea have suffered setbacks in the race to sign Birmingham City youngster Koby Arthur. The 17-year-old has signed his first professional contract with the Championship side, making it potentially harder for the London rivals to negotiate a transfer. The young forward, referred to as "King" Arthur, has also been linked to Manchester City.

Arsene Wenger
Reuters

A Ghanaian by birth, Arthur has signed a two-year deal at St Andrews, after having been called up from the reserves last week. The Blues' manager, Lee Clark, told the Birmingham Mail he was delighted to have signed the teen, given the level of interest from top Premier League clubs.

The 40-year-old former Sunderland and Newcastle United midfielder said Arthur impressed him in the way he handled the step up to the senior team and said he expected the attacking player to have a great career at the club.

"I have been hugely impressed with Koby and he has now become involved with the first team group on a daily basis. He has a big future ahead of him and he fits the bills in terms of my philosophy of building a young, hungry and talented squad," Clark explained.

Wenger: Arsenal Should Have Scored More against Royals

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed he was a little disappointed by the 4-1 win over Reading on Saturday. The Gunners recorded an emphatic win over the relegation-threatened Royals, to firmly announce their challenge for Champions League football next season. However, their long-serving boss said that although his side played good football, they were wasteful in front of goal.

"We had a good performance. We were technically sound and had a good balance between mastering the possession and being incisive. The only regret we had at half-time is that we didn't score the chances we created and that we didn't get the penalty we deserved," Wenger told the club Web site.

However, the Frenchman claimed he was happy to get all three points as it helped them gain momentum for the remaining fixtures.

"The confidence looks to be there, and you could see when the confidence is there, we can play quality football. We have one target, to win our games. You cannot always look around you and see what the other teams do. Just play well and win your games," he concluded.

Arsenal travel to Loftus Road next weekend, to face West Bromwich Albion.

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