Arsenal have already completed their first signing for 2027 – and they’ve done it by beating Liverpool to one of Europe’s most talked-about young prospects.
While the window closed with four forwards walking out of the Emirates and no direct replacements coming through the door, there is no sense of panic around Mikel Arteta’s squad. Ethan Nwaneri has gone to Borussia Dortmund on loan, Gabriel Jesus to Barcelona in a £12m deal including add-ons, Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for £60m, and Fabio Vieira to Hamburg for £8.6m. On paper, that is a brutal clear-out.
On the pitch, Arsenal still look loaded.
Arteta’s champions have the kind of depth that makes rivals wince. Liverpool can still put world-class names on a teamsheet, players who would walk into Arsenal’s XI, but the supporting cast at Anfield is thin. Few genuinely see the Reds as built for a title push right now. Arsenal, by contrast, are operating like a club planning to stay at the summit for years.
That long-term thinking sits alongside win-now moves. Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes, both 28, arrived as ready-made pieces for a squad that expects to compete on every front. Yet even while building for the present, Arsenal have quietly tied down a deal designed for the next era.
The name is Andria Bartishvili.
All summer, Arsenal and Liverpool circled the 17-year-old Georgian attacking midfielder. Liverpool went as far as putting a contract on the table. It wasn’t enough. The teenager is heading to the Premier League champions instead.
The turning point came on August 29. Fabrizio Romano, who had tracked the race, delivered his trademark confirmation on X: Arsenal had an agreement in place.
“Arsenal agree deal to sign 17 year old Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili, here we go!” he wrote, outlining a five-year contract, a medical scheduled in London, and a €4.5m fee with the player joining when he turns 18 in 2027. The hashtag was clear: #AFC.
The move gathered pace quickly. Days later, Romano reported that Bartishvili was travelling to London to finalise the transfer and complete his medical, with the agreement set for June 2027, once the youngster is eligible to join.
Now the final box has been ticked.
On Friday morning, Romano delivered the last update Arsenal fans were waiting for. Bartishvili has passed his medical, the paperwork is ready, and the deal is “formally sealed”.
“Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili can be considered a new Arsenal player,” he posted, confirming the teenager will link up with the first team in the summer of 2027, when he turns 18.
So while Liverpool search for depth in the here and now, Arsenal have quietly locked in a piece of their future. The champions are betting that when 2027 arrives, Bartishvili will be stepping into a side still built to dominate, not one looking back at what it used to be.
