Arsenal have signed 18 year-old goalkeeper, Tommy Setford from Ajax for an undisclosed fee.
Setford began his career in Ajax’s Academy alongside his older brother, Charlie – who is also a goalkeeper for Ajax – and was part of Ajax’s Under-18s squad last season.
Setford last season made 14 total appearances across the Netherlands’ O18 Fall and Spring competitions, during which he kept five clean sheets and conceded just 15 goals.
His performances however were impressive enough for Arsenal to sign him for an undisclosed fee, with Setford currently having one year left on his current contract at Ajax with no plans to sign a new deal.
Ajax consequently opted to accept the Gunners’ bid of a fee reported to be around £840k, rather than lose the youngster on a free transfer next summer.
Ahead of confirmation of his move to North London, Setford shared a farewell post to Ajax on his Instagram account, as he thanked the Eredivisie club for providing “wonderful memories.”
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Once his transfer was officially announced, Setford commented: “I want to thank Arsenal for this opportunity. I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”
Setford also spoke of his friendship with Ethan Nwnaeri and Myles Lewis-Skelly from their time together within England international youth-level setup.
“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!”
Setford also is keen to learn from Arsenal’s goalkeepers including David Raya, who joined from Brentford permanently this summer following his loan spell last season.
“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.”
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