Gillingham striker Luke Freeman has officially joined Arsenal after the paperwork was completed on his switch to The Emirates Stadium. The 15-year-old has signed an initial student registration with The Gunners, although that will be turned into a professional contract when he turns 17.

Freeman is naturally delighted to be joining Arsenal. Talking to the official website, www.gillinghamfootballclub.com, he said: "This is a great opportunity for me. I thank Gillingham for everything they did but I am now hoping to be a success with Arsenal. They play good attractive football and the manager has a good history of nurturing and developing young talent."

Gills manager Mark Stimson said: "We are sorry to see Luke go because we know he will be a big talent in years to come. Arsenal are a great side and working with those top players will only develop his game. I'm pleased for Luke because he is a lovely boy and we will always remember that he made his first appearances for Gillingham."

Chairman Paul Scally added: "We reluctantly agreed to let Luke leave KRBS Priestfield because it would have been unfair to stand in the way of a player's development. We have agreed an undisclosed fee for his services and that fee could be quite lucrative if he develops to the extent we believe is possible."

Freeman hit the headlines in November when he became our youngest-ever player, aged just 15 years 233 days, during an FA Cup tie against Barnet. He went on to make two more appearances for The Gills before Arsenal decided to swoop.

Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, Wenger said: "He is a young striker who comes from Gillingham. He is left-footed with a good eye for the goal. He is brave and has a good, positive personality. He is only 15-years-old, of course, so we need to be patient but he's a very interesting prospect. He is another one for the future."

Freeman made his debut for the Arsenal Under-18s in their 3-2 defeat to Ipswich on Saturday. Everyone at Gillingham wishes him well in his future career.

(Subscribers to the Gillingham text service received this news first)