Son of former West Brom ace poised to make history at European Championships

Midlands star Brayden Clarke is poised to make a piece of Welsh football history at the Uefa European under-19s championships.

The 18-year-old from Hagley will become the first player to represent Wales at three different youth international tournaments when he faces Spain in Sunday’s Group A opener at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

Clarke, a former Wolves academy star who is now under-21 captain at Arsenal, previously played at the Uefa U17 event in 2023 and 2024.

And the defensive prospect will again face some of the best young players on the continent in a tournament which will take place across north Wales.

“Every call up is a great feeling but particularly for a major tournament like this, which we are hosting, it is particularly special,” Clarke told the official FAW website.

“I didn’t really think about the achievement (of playing in three) but it is a big one for me, one which I will hold proudly.”

Clarke has no shortage of pedigree. The son of former Albion midfielder Nigel Quashie, he played junior football for Stourbridge and West Hagley and joined the Wolves academy aged nine.

He moved to Arsenal in early 2024 and has made a strong impression, training regularly with the Premier League champions first-team and even appearing on the bench for a top flight match against Bournemouth in May, 2025.

Clarke explained how Nigel - whose 350-plus career appearances included 30 for the Baggies during the 2006-07 season, is always on hand to offer advice.

“It is brilliant having someone who has played the game like my dad,” he said.

“It is so good being able to go to him for advice. With all the ups and downs you experience, he has been through them as well.

“He is someone I rely on a lot. I am so proud of him for what he achieved and he just wants me to be the best I can be.”

While Nigel was capped 16 times by Scotland, Clarke qualifies to play for Wales through his mother Kerry, whose dad Ian was born in Rhyl.

He and the team have been handed a tough assignment, with fixtures against Germany and Denmark to follow the showdown with Spain, all three matches taking place in Wrexham.

But while they are undoubtedly the underdogs on paper, Clarke says the mood is one of excitement, rather than trepidation.

He said: “We can’t wait to get going. It is a tough group but one we want to attack.

“The two tournaments I played in before were very tough, not just for me but the whole team. We took a lot of learning from it.

“We know what to expect now, whereas before maybe didn’t know what we were going into. It is good we have the experience under our belts.

“We have all developed over the last two years and I hope we can produce some very good performances. We want to do the fans proud.”