Fabrizio Romano confirms Arsenal out-of-window signing of attacking gem – it’s a ‘big opportunity’
Arsenal have finalised all the paperwork to sign outstanding Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the transfer is ‘Here we go’ done, and with details of the transfer fee and his contract with the Gunners now coming to light.
The Premier League champions invested heavily to improve their title-winning squad over the summer, with Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie and Christos Tzolis adding additional quality to Mikel Arteta’s ranks.
But despite the transfer window having long since closed for business, the Gunners’ busy sporting director Andrea Berta has now moved to secure the club’s first confirmed arrival of Bartishvili, who will move to north London next summer.
It was revealed last week that Arsenal were confident they would soon wrap up his signing, and now Romano has revealed everything is in place for the teenager to move to Emirates Stadium next summer.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano explained: “To complete our London tour in terms of signings, there’s Andria Bartishvili, this 17-year-old Georgian talent,” he said.
“In Georgia, those who follow football and know things in the industry say that they haven’t seen another talent with this kind of quality and potential since Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Bartishvili is seen as a huge, huge talent.
“There were many proposals from other English clubs and from German clubs for Bartishvili. Arsenal won the race.
“The boy was in London last week to complete many tests and sign the contract. Today, there was the announcement: Bartishvili is a new Arsenal player. Everything confirmed. The ‘here we go’ from two weeks ago is now in place and confirmed.”
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A big opportunity for Bartishvili at Arsenal
The Gunners are understood to have paid Kolkheti 1913 a fee of around €4.5m (£3.9m, $5.3m) to sign the 17-year-old, who will officially make the move next summer after spending the rest of this season growing and developing further with the Georgian club.
That fee represents a low risk for the Gunners, but a huge one for the Georgian side, while they get to benefit from retaining the left-sided winger or attacking midfielder for another season yet.
He is understood to have reached an agreement to sign an initial four-year deal with the Gunners, through to 2031, with the move to become official when he turns 18 on March 30 next year.
And for Bartishvili, Romano describes the move for the ‘talented boy’ as a ‘big opportunity’.
“For Bartishvili, it’s a big opportunity. A big opportunity because Arsenal are going to sign him for 2027, not for now, because the player has to turn 18 and then join Arsenal.
“But the boy believes that Arsenal are the right club for him as a winger, where he can develop, so there is big excitement at Arsenal. They believe they have signed a really talented boy.
“Obviously, English football is not Georgian football. Arsenal, with all due respect, are not a Georgian club. So the pressure is completely different. You will need to deliver at the highest level. But Arsenal are very happy with their signing.”
Berta’s next immediate priority will be to announce a contract extension for boss Arteta, while sources can reveal that three other vital Arsenal stars are also set to sign on the dotted line, with talks advancing on contract extensions.
