Young talent shares thanks after Arsenal reach agreement to sign him

Following reports from elsewhere earlier in the week, James McNicholas has confirmed for The Athletic that Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Andria Bartishvili of Kolkheti 1913, who is currently on loan with Iberia 1999.

McNicholas writes that the plan is for Bartishvili to join Arsenal in 2027, once he’s turned 18. The player’s 18th birthday is in March 2027, so he’s more of a signing for next summer.

Bartishvili has already shared a message of thanks to everyone commenting on his Arsenal move, writing on Instagram: “A very big thank you to everyone for the congratulations”

Arsenal have won the race for Bartishvili amid strong competition for the player’s signature, with Liverpool and Juventus also reportedly interested.

Arsenal’s Maurizio Micheli drove the club’s move, recently attending one of Bartishvili’s matches for loan club Iberia against Flora in a Champions League qualifier. It seems he’s now succeeded in getting the deal over the line.

As football in Georgia operates on a calendar-year basis, Bartishvili’s loan spell won’t end until December. So this loan will take up most of his wait to become eligible for Arsenal.

The Georgia u21 international has two goals and three assists in his 24 games for Iberia, with all of those goal contributions coming since he broke into the starting lineup at the start of May.

Bartishvili has also played for the Georgia u16s, u17s, u19s, and u21s in his young career, scoring two goals in two games for the u19s in June.