Tottenham beat Chelsea to signing young talent Parrett

Tottenham were last night celebrating victory in the battle to sign one of the most highly rated young players in English football after they beat Chelsea to the signature of Dean Parrett.

The 15-year-old midfielder, who has already represented England at Under-16 level, was signed from Queen's Park Rangers in a deal that could be worth more than £1m according to how he progresses at his new club. The player has been targeted by a host of Premiership clubs and has long interested Chelsea.

A Londoner, Parrett is an attacking midfielder in the mould of Steven Gerrard and has already played for QPR's Under-18s side. A good sprinter in schoolboy athletics, he still attends the Quintin Kynaston school in north-west London. He will become a full-time trainee at Tottenham only in the summer of 2008.

Competition for the top schoolboy footballers, especially English players, is fierce. Tottenham's sporting director, Damien Comolli, said last night: "Dean is exactly the kind of player we want to attract to our club, a player who will be part of the next generation to come through to the first team. He is an extremely talented young player who has that rare combination of pace, aggression and creativity."