Arsenal beat Chelsea and Tottenham in race for youngster Charlie Patino

Arsenal have beaten Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham in signing young prodigy Charlie Patino, according to the Daily Mail.

The recruitment drive is part of Arsenal's strategy to completely revamp their youth setup, which has fallen way behind the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham, leading to the Gunners having to spend big in the market to forge a title winning squad.

Chelsea were willing to offer Luton double of the £10,000 ($15,700) compensation handed to them but the player wanted to train with the Gunners, given it is closer to where he is currently put up.

Manchester City had also made a late attempt for the 11-year-old but were rebuffed in their efforts as the youngster decided to ply his trade with the Gunners. Arsenal have a history of bringing the best out of young talent, as has been evidenced by the likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Hector Bellerin, who have been brought into the setup at an early age and let to develop.

Wenger has previously revealed that he wants a mix of youth and experienced players in the line-up as it would not be sustainable for the club to delve into the market whenever they are in need for reinforcements.

Bellerin's ascension to the top should come as a marker for other players plying their trade in the youth setup and strive that bit harder to impress the manager. The young Serge Gnabry, who has been ridden with injuries over the past couple of years is also close to a first team return, which should give the manager some much needed depth on the right.

The Gunners are currently third in the league with a game against Manchester United set up for the weekend. A win here will confirm their position in the top three and relieve them of the compulsion of having to go through a play-off for a place in the Champions League next season.