Arsenal signs 17-year-old Georgian forward Andria Bartishvili, set to arrive in 2027

Arsenal is already thinking about 2027. And it's not down to financial planning or long term transfer speculation, but a very specific signing: the London club has reached a preliminary agreement to bring in Georgian forward Andria Bartishvili, just 17 years old, who will join the first team once he reaches legal adulthood.

The deal has a quirk that makes it stand out: Bartishvili won't arrive until July 2027, by which point the young Georgian will have already turned 18. So for now, the kid continues his normal footballing life far from London, while Arsenal simply waits patiently on something it has already all but wrapped up.

So who is this kid already drawing interest from the Premier League? Bartishvili plays as a winger or attacking midfielder and currently plays for Iberia 1999, a club in the Erovnuli Liga (Georgia's top division), where he arrived on loan in January from Kolkheti 1913, a second tier club. At his new club he has racked up two goals and two assists, modest numbers but understandable for a player his age taking his first steps in senior football.

Before that loan move, Bartishvili had already made his mark at Kolkheti 1913: he was named best under-17 player in the Erovnuli Liga, individual recognition that came despite his team's relegation. One of the contradictions of youth football: shining individually while the team goes down.

His international résumé also carries weight. He has come through Georgia's under-16, under-17 and under-18 setups, and has already played two matches with the under-21 national team, a considerable step up for someone still a minor.

There's another detail linking Bartishvili to the Georgian football that's thriving in Europe today: he came through the youth academy at Dinamo Tbilisi, the same club where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, now a star at PSG and with the Georgian national team, made his professional debut. That's no guarantee of anything, but it's certainly a reference point that excites any fan following the rise of football in that country.

The club's reaction

Arsenal confirmed the agreement in an official statement expressing its satisfaction at the young forward's future arrival.

Everyone at Arsenal is looking forward to Andria joining us next summer, and we wish him luck for the rest of the season at Iberia 1999.Arsenal statement

For now, Bartishvili will keep developing in Georgian football, building up minutes and experience before making the jump to one of England's biggest clubs. Arsenal, meanwhile, adds another bet on the future to a list of young talents the club has been scouting across half the globe.