Cheltenham Town youngster Jamie Edge will complete his move to Premier League club Arsenal this week.

The 15-year old midfielder or defender has passed a medical and a compensation payment has been agreed between the clubs.

Jamie has been in pre-season training with the Gunners since last Monday and is set to sign as a schoolboy with the club on Friday.

Cheltenham Town Head of Youth Ken Oram commented: "We are delighted that Jamie Edge has accepted the offer of joining Arsenal, which is a fantastic opportunity for him to take his development to the next level. He has worked very hard with us and fully deserves the chance of being able to maximise the potential he has shown. Arsenal will make him a better player given the infrastructure and coaching environment they have there.

"Jamie will further his career at a club steeped in a tradition of nurturing young players whilst Cheltenham Town will benefit significantly from the transfer - both from the satisfaction that our development scheme has produced a player capable of reaching that standard and from the level of compensation the club will receive."

Jamie, who is from Longlevens, joined Cheltenham Town as a nine-year old and has played above his age group level since the Under-14 group. Last season he made regular appearances for the Under-18s and even featured for the reserve team despite having not yet reached his 16th birthday.

He impressed Arsenal during a short trial period at the end of last season and recently took part in a summer Under-16 tournament in Italy featuring some of Europe's leading clubs.

Ken Oram explained that Jamie's move to Arsenal can only be good for the long-term reputation of the club's Centre of Excellence.

"Although our principle aim is to produce players for the Cheltenham Town first team, some of our players may find that their future development lies at clubs of a higher standing than ours," he explained.

"When these opportunities become available to players at Cheltenham Town, there is no way we can keep them. It is unlikely that Jamie will be the only schoolboy transferring to a Premier League club this season as there has been a lot of interest in our players recently, which is a big compliment to our scheme and those involved with the coaching.

"It also illustrates the vital role the Football League Trust play with securing funding and proves that with grant aid support even the smallest clubs on the smallest budgets can produce schoolboy players capable of transferring to the highest profile clubs.

"Our development plan and business plan must work for the best interest of the football club in conjunction with the player and his family, which means that should an offer like Arsenal's come in for one our players it must be considered. We have worked very hard to build a solid foundation for local players to enter professional football. We have a dedicated and loyal set of staff who've contributed enormously to the progress of our players in recent years.

"Roger Hyett, our Head of Recruitment, has been working closely with Arsenal Head of Youth Development Liam Brady and Jamie's family over the close season to ensure the move from Cheltenham and Arsenal goes as smoothly as possible for Jamie and he goes with our very best wishes and hopes that he can make the most of this opportunity."

The clubs have agreed not to disclose the compensation figure in relation to Jamie's move to Arsenal but the terms include an initial payment plus further instalments depending upon Jamie's progress while at Arsenal.

It has been a good few months for the Cheltenham Town Centre of Excellence, which was established in 2000. Current first team players Shane Duff, David Bird, Andy Gallinagh, Marley Watkins and Jack Durrant have all broken through into the first team from the youth ranks. In addition, Scholarship players Jake Lee, Kyle Haynes, Theo Lewis and Josh Emery all made appearances for the first team last season.

Meanwhile, Cheltenham Town manager Martin Allen continues his efforts to strengthen the first team. Talks are ongoing between Cheltenham Town and Huddersfield Town for the signing of striker Tom Denton and Martin is also talking to former Robins striker Julian Alsop regarding a possible non-contract arrangement. Neither player has signed for the club as yet, however.

- Goalkeeper and second year Scholarship player Joe Perry is set to join Southern League club Evesham United on a work experience basis.

- Two former Cheltenham Town players will this season take charge of the Under-16 squad. Former midfielder Chris Burns - who was transferred from Cheltenham Town to Portsmouth in 1991 - and striker Kim Casey - once a club record signing when he arrived from Kidderminster Harriers for £25,000 in 1990 - will run the Under-16 side next season. Former Under-16s manager Roger Hyatt has been appointed Recruitment Officer for the Centre of Excellence with overall responsibility for identifying young local players and, hopefully, unearthing the next Jamie Edge.