Arsenal sign 18-year-old Ajax and England youth international goalkeeper

Most clubs continue to seek reinforcements for their squads, including among young talents. One such talent has joined Arsenal today. Ajax's 18-year-old goalkeeper, Tommy Setford, has signed a contract with the club.

Initially, Setford is expected to join Arsenal's youth team but will train with the senior group of goalkeepers.

Arsenal U21 coach Per Mertesacker commented on this transfer:

"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."

The young talent himself expressed his excitement about joining the team:

"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."

Tommy Setford was born in the Netherlands but has played for England's youth national team. He came through Ajax's sports school, playing for the club's youth team.