Arsenal Signs Georgian Talent Andria Bartishvili for 2027
Arsenal have already started shopping for 2027 – and they’ve done it by beating Liverpool to one of Europe’s most talked‑about teenagers.
In a summer when Mikel Arteta waved through the exits of four forwards without blinking, the champions have quietly locked in a deal that underlines exactly where they see their future.
Arsenal clear the decks, but keep their nerve
Ethan Nwaneri to Borussia Dortmund on loan. Gabriel Jesus to Barcelona for £12m including add-ons. Gabriel Martinelli sold to Al-Hilal for £60m. Fabio Vieira off to Hamburg for £8.6m.
Four attacking options gone in quick succession, none directly replaced in the here and now. For most clubs, that would trigger panic. At Arsenal, it has only sharpened the focus.
Arteta’s squad still looks stacked, the kind of group every rival manager in the league would happily swap for. Liverpool can still point to a handful of players who would walk into Arsenal’s XI, but they cannot match the depth that now lives in north London. That’s why few seriously see the Anfield side as genuine title contenders this season. Arsenal, by contrast, are building like a team planning to stay at the summit.
They have already added ready-made quality in 28-year-olds Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimarães. Yet even as they plug gaps for today, the recruitment team has one eye locked firmly on tomorrow.
The battle for Bartishvili
That long-term plan has just claimed another win.
Both Arsenal and Liverpool moved for Andria Bartishvili over the summer, a 17-year-old Georgian attacking midfielder whose reputation has been rising fast. Liverpool went as far as putting a contract on the table. It still wasn’t enough.
On August 29, Fabrizio Romano delivered the now familiar three words that tend to close these sagas. “Here we go.” Arsenal had their man.
“Arsenal agree deal to sign 17 year old Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili, here we go!” Romano posted on X, outlining the framework: a medical in London booked for the following week, a five-year contract, a €4.5m deal, and a start date that tells you everything about Arsenal’s patience. Bartishvili will officially join in 2027, once he turns 18.
The teenager then began his journey to London to complete the formalities. Romano again: “Andria Bartishvili, on his way to London as he’s signing for Arsenal this week. Deal agreed last week for 17 year old Georgian talent joining #AFC from June 2027 when he’ll be 18.”
The pressure finally told on Friday morning.
A 2027 signing, sealed in 2024
“Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili can be considered a new Arsenal player,” Romano confirmed in his latest update. Medical done. Contract set to be signed. Deal “formally sealed.”
The plan is clear. Bartishvili will join the Arsenal first team in the summer of 2027, stepping into a squad that, if the current trajectory holds, should still be contending for the biggest prizes.
Liverpool’s offer showed they recognised the scale of the talent. Arsenal’s success in closing the deal shows something else: a club operating with the confidence of champions, willing to sacrifice short-term sentiment, cash in on big names, and still think three years down the line.
The present belongs to Arteta’s side. With Bartishvili now locked in for the future, the question is no longer whether Arsenal can stay at the top – it’s how far ahead they can pull.
