Arsenal confirm signing of England wonderkid with 'big potential' from Ajax in bargain transfer

The North London giants confirmed on Sunday that they have officially completed a permanent transfer for the youngster. The teenager, who has represented England at youth level, was born in the Netherlands and came through the ranks of Ajax's youth system.

For now, Setford will be part of the Gunners' academy and will further develop as a player under the watchful eyes of academy manager Per Mertesacker. The German was excited to welcome the custodian as he told the club's official website, "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."

After putting pet to paper on the English giants' contract, the youngster 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."

Mikel Arteta's men are set to travel to the United States for pre-season where they will play a series of friendly matches to prepare for the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.