DONE DEAL ✅: Arsenal announce the signing of Tommy Setford, with Per Mertesacker responding to the goalkeeper’s arrival.
Arsenal have announced the acquisition of 18-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford from Ajax, who has signed a multi-year contract with the club. Initially, he will join Arsenal’s youth academy and play for the youth team.
Expressing his excitement about joining Arsenal, Setford said, “I want to thank Arsenal for this opportunity. I can’t wait to hit the ground running. I already know Ethan [Nwnaeri] and Myles [Lewis-Skelly]. They’re great guys and I can have a good laugh with them. I spent a few camps with them, so I know them well. I just saw them for a quick meet and greet! I’m looking forward to learning new things next season and pushing myself to another level. For the short term, it’s very important now to get a feel for the group and start to know everyone.”
Per Mertesacker, Arsenal’s academy manager, commented on Setford’s arrival, saying, “We welcome Tommy to Arsenal. He is a young goalkeeper with big potential, and we look forward to supporting his development in the coming years. The first step on Tommy’s development pathway with us will be to integrate into our under-21s academy group and train regularly with our first team goalkeeping group.”
Setford has previously made 33 appearances for Ajax’s under-18 team, keeping 14 clean sheets, and has also played 17 times for England’s under-18 side.