Some transfer stories are so exciting that fans stay up late just to read about them, and Arsenal has just given us one of those. A 17-year-old midfielder from a country that most European scouts barely noticed three years ago is joining the Gunners. People are already comparing him to one of the Premier League’s most exciting imports in recent years. His name is Andria Bartishvili, and if the buzz from Tbilisi is right, Arsenal might have pulled off a very smart move that will pay off in the years ahead.
Here’s what you need to know about the Georgian teenager, how his transfer happened, and why people keep calling him the “next Kvaratskhelia.”
Who Is Andria Bartishvili?
Bartishvili was born on 30 March 2009 and started his football journey at Dinamo Tbilisi, one of Georgia’s top academies. He stood out early, winning awards at youth tournaments before he was even a teenager. By the time he joined Kolkheti 1913, scouts were already paying close attention.
In April 2025, he made history by playing for Kolkheti-1913 Poti against Samgurali Tskaltubo in the Erovnuli Liga at just 16 years and two days old, making him the youngest player in Georgia’s top league that season. By the end of the year, he was named the country’s best Under-17 player.
At the start of 2026, he went on loan to Iberia 1999, where his game really improved. Playing in a higher division suited him well. He played in a Conference League qualifying campaign, scored and assisted as a No.10, and got his first senior goal against Gagra last spring. Off the field, he’s a regular for Georgia’s youth national teams, representing the country from Under-16 up to Under-21, even though he’s still a teenager.
Why Everyone Keeps Calling Him “The Next Kvaratskhelia”
The comparison isn’t just a cliché from headline writers, even though it’s used for many promising Georgian players now. There’s a real reason for it: Bartishvili is represented by Italian agent Christian Dzaccardo, who also managed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s move to Napoli in 2022. Dzaccardo has said he sees similar qualities in Bartishvili and describes him as part of a new group of talented young Georgian players.
In terms of their playing style, the similarities are obvious. Both players are capable of playing either as a central playmaker or on the left wing, both can use their left or right foot to trouble the defenders, and both have a low centre of gravity which assists them in tight areas. It is not yet clear whether Bartishvili will have the same effect as Kvaratskhelia, but it is easy to understand why the two are being compared.
How the Arsenal Transfer Came Together
Arsenal have reportedly agreed a fee in the region of €4.5 million to sign Bartishvili, seeing off genuine interest from Liverpool and Juventus in the process. Both clubs had been monitoring him for the best part of a year, but Arsenal’s pitch, built around their recent record of actually giving academy prospects a pathway into the first team, appears to have won the day.
The teenager has already travelled to London to complete his medical and is set to sign a five-year contract with the club. That said, supporters expecting to see him in an Arsenal shirt this season will need to be patient.
Why He Won’t Arrive Until 2027
Since Bartishvili is still a minor, FIFA’s regulations concerning international transfers for players under the age of 18 mean that he cannot officially transfer to England at this time; he will therefore spend the rest of this season and the one after it continuing his development in Georgia, probably remaining on loan at Iberia 1999 in order to play regular senior football. The transfer will only become final when he reaches the age of 18 in March 2027, when he will then officially join Mikel Arteta’s squad.
It is a reasonable and ever more frequently adopted method used by clubs when they sign highly regarded teenagers from smaller footballing countries: by securing the transfer early they prevent other clubs from bidding, and then allow the player to continue his development in a setting where he is already doing well rather than moving him into a totally different footballing culture before he is ready.
Arsenal have stated that they will be keeping a close watch on his progress from a distance and have issued a brief statement in which they wish him well for the remainder of his stay in Georgia before he finally arrives at London Colney.
What Position Does He Play?
Bartishvili has the characteristics of both an attacking midfielder and a left winger; he can play in the central position as a number 10, setting up attacking opportunities, or go wider to face defenders one on one. The fact that he is versatile is what interests European scouts since it gives managers more choices rather than restricting him to a single position.
Arsenal’s Academy Push
The signing of Bartishvili is part of Arsenal’s wider effort to bring in top young players; at the same time they also secured Mylo Bernard, who is highly rated, from Crystal Palace. Because of Arteta and with a recruitment team that wants to give young players real opportunities, Arsenal is now becoming one of the foremost destinations in Europe for the country’s best teenagers, rather than depending solely on developing them in their own academy.
At the same time, Georgia is still producing outstanding football talent, particularly when one takes into account the small size of the country. Kvaratskhelia headed the way at Napoli and then at Paris Saint-Germain, and now a new generation, Bartishvili being one of its leaders, aims to follow in his footsteps and reach Europe’s major stages.
At the moment Bartishvili’s attention remains firmly fixed on Iberia in 1999 and on Georgia’s youth team, since each of his appearances will be examined much more closely in light of the big move awaiting him in England. Arsenal supporters will have to put his name aside and won’t be able to find out what they’ve really signed up for until the summer of 2027. Even if half of the expectations prove to be well founded, the wait will have been worthwhile.
