New Arsenal signing left out of national team squad due to injury
Georgia U21 boss Ramaz Svanadze has not been able to call upon Arsenal gem Andria Bartishvili this month
The 17-year-old gem, who will turn 18 by the time he moves to north London in the summer of 2027, is poised to sit out U21 European Championship qualification matches against Greece, Northern Ireland and Germany.
What's interesting is that Tornike Kvaratskhelia, the brother of PSG superstar Khvicha, has been included in the squad for the first time and many are tipping the duo as the future of Georgian football.
Bartishvili has not played since July according to Transfermarkt records (believed to be due to an ankle issue), though he has been included in FC Iberia 1999's Conference League squad.
They are the first Georgian outfit in 22 years to make the group phase of a European competition and the attacker will be handed the chance to feature against the likes of Getafe and FK Crvena Zvezda of Serbia.
It will be valuable experience for the teen and additionally, his current employers (Bartishvili is on loan from Kolkheti 1913) are going head-to-head with Dinamo Batumi for the Georgian championship.
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They are currently one point behind the leaders with a game in hand and the tense battle will also offer Bartishvili his first taste of a title race ahead of his transfer to Arsenal.
He has made 19 appearances so far this season across all competitions, scoring twice and assisting on three occasions.
Additionally, he has also operated in four different positions: playing out wide left, as an attacking midfielder, second striker and centre-forward.
Arsenal chief Maurizio Michelli played a huge role in the deal and actually travelled to Eastern Europe to watch Bartishvili play in the Champions League qualifiers.
Iberia initially beat FC Flora 5-4 on aggregate before falling short to Yaya Toure's Slovan Bratislava. He made two starts in total across all four games but did not record a goal contribution.
Andria Bartishvili will join Arsenal in July 2027
Bartishvili was named the best U17 player in the Erovnuli Liga (Georgian leage) in 2025 after bursting onto the scene with Kolkheti. He followed that up with his first professional goal for Iberia in May in a 1-0 triumph over Gagra.
He has also made a big impression for Georgia at youth team level. He caught the eye for the U16s and then moved up to the U17s where he netted on his debut against Slovenia.
Since then, he's been promoted to the U21 set-up and has made two appearances. He will be sure to return to the fold once he is back from injury.
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