18-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford has joined us in a permanent transfer from Ajax Amsterdam.
Setford was born in the Netherlands and has spent 10 years as part of the famed Ajax academy. The 18-year-old plays international football for England, however, and was a part of the under-17s side, alongside Arsenal pair Ethan Nwnaeri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, which competed in the World Cup in Indonesia last year.
He will go straight into the Arsenal under-21 team, but will train with Mikel Arteta’s first team. Opportunities for promotion could be around the corner after the Gunners let Arthur Okonkwo join Wrexham, while Karl Hein is expected to depart the club on loan and there is speculation that Aaron Ramsdale could also leave in search of regular game time.
“He is a young goalkeeper with big potential and we look forward to supporting his development in the coming years,” Arsenal’s academy manager Per Mertesacker said. “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 is Arsenal’s second major signing of the summer transfer window following the £30million deal to make David Raya’s loan from Brentford permanent.
Arsenal have also signed Danish 18-year-old keeper Lucas Nygaard from FC Nordsjaelland. Their recruitment is needed after the club allowed five youth team keepers to leave at the end of June.
Arsenal are still chasing another goalkeeper, having seen a £50,000 bid for Wolves back-up Bentley rejected. The 31-year-old has one year left on his contract and the Gunners have reportedly lodged a second offer worth in the region of £300,000 for his signature. Wolves are understood to want closer to £1m.
The interest in Bentley is being led by Arsenal’s goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana, who worked with him at former club Brentford. Bentley knows Arsenal well, having spent seven years at Hale End in his youth career before being released in 2008.
“I want to thank Arsenal for this opportunity. I can’t wait to hit the ground running,” Setford said. “I already know Ethan and Myles. 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.”
Setford also bid farewell to Ajax on Instagram, writing: “Thank you Ajax for more than 10 great years at the most beautiful club in the Netherlands. I take away with me some wonderful memories. No doubt our paths will cross once again sometime in the future.”