Who is Andria Bartishvili? Everything you need to know about Arsenal's Georgian wonderkid

Arsenal have scooped up one of the most exciting teenage talents from around the world, with Georgian teenager Andria Bartishvili signing a deal with the Gunners.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder, who has been dubbed the next Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, completed his move to join Mikel Arteta’s army, waving off interest from Liverpool, Juventus and others.

The youngster moved from his parent club, Kolkheti 1913, for a deal reported to be worth in the region of €4.5 million (approximately £3.85m to £3.9m).

Because Bartishvili is still only 17, FIFA's regulations around the transfer of minors mean he cannot simply pack his bags and move to England straight away.

Instead, he will remain in Georgia to continue his development, officially becoming an Arsenal player and relocating to London in the summer of 2027, once he turns 18.

Until then, he will remain at Iberia 1999 on loan, the Tbilisi club where he has spent the season sharpening his game in the Erovnuli Liga, Georgia's top flight.

Following his signing, Arsenal officially released a statement, noting that the club is delighted with the pre-contract agreement and wishing the teenager well “for the rest of this season at Iberia 1999” before his move to north London becomes official.

With the teenager set to join the Gunners next season, FootballWhispers takes an in-depth look at Bartishvili, including his strengths, weaknesses and what Arsenal fans can expect from him.

Andria Bartishvili profile

Andria Bartishvili background

Bartishvili was born on 30 March 2009 in Tbilisi, Georgia, and came through the youth system at Dinamo Tbilisi.

It is the same academy that produced Kvaratskhelia, Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, winger Giorgi Chakvetadze and a clutch of other players who have gone on to make their names in European football.

The new Arsenal signing plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger and has shown early signs that are promising enough.

At just 10 years old, he was named the Player of the 2018 Bendela Cup, a tournament contested by Under-10 and Under-11 teams.

Bartishvili continued to impress at the Qabala Unity Cup, where he was recognised as the tournament's best striker and top scorer.

He then featured at the U11 Ateitis Cup in Lithuania, earning another individual award after being named the competition's best midfielder.

In 2022, Bartishvili helped Dinamo Tbilisi's Under-13 side win an international tournament in Batumi, where his performances earned him the award for the tournament's best player.

His impressive development continued the following year. In April 2023, Bartishvili was named the best player at another international competition in Italy, despite Dinamo's Under-14 team finishing in fourth place.

A year later, he received further recognition at the Georgian Football Federation's annual awards ceremony, where he was presented with the Aleksandre Chivadze silver medal, an award for U17 players.

His move into senior football came via Kolkheti 1913, the Poti-based club to whom he is formally contracted.

In April 2025, at just 16 years and two days old, Bartishvili made his senior debut and became the youngest player of that entire season in Georgian football.

His first senior goal followed the next month, the winner in a narrow victory over Gagra, and by the end of the year he had been named Georgia's best Under-17 player.

In January 2026, with his stock rising, Bartishvili moved on a season-long loan to Iberia 1999, a step up that gave him regular football in a stronger top-flight environment while remaining contracted to Kolkheti 1913.

Andria Bartishvili stats

Who is Andria Bartishvili? Everything to know about Arsenal's 17-year-old Georgian gem || Credit
IMAGO / Artur Stabulnieks — Who is Andria Bartishvili? Everything to know about Arsenal's 17-year-old Georgian gem

Numbers only tell you so much about a teenager who is still a couple of years away from regular first-team senior football, but they do help frame where Bartishvili currently sits in his development.

At club level, his output remains light, and he is a wide attacker still building senior minutes rather than a proven goalscorer.

He made 17 league appearances for Kolkheti 1913 in the 2025 season without registering a goal from open play.

However, during his loan spell at Iberia 1999, in 2026, Bartishvili has scored two goals and provided two assists.

Across his time in Georgia's top two divisions, he has been used sparingly as an impact substitute, which is typical of a club managing the game time of a talented and developing teenager.

It is at the international youth level, while playing for the Georgia Under-17 national team, where the underlying numbers are more eye-catching.

In his Under-17 career, he scored seven goals in 15 appearances, including scoring two goals against Kazakhstan.

He has since progressed to the Under-19s, scoring twice in his opening five appearances at that level, and has already added caps at the Under-21 level too.

Andria Bartishvili strengths and weaknesses

Bartishvili's major ability, by every account from those who have watched him closely, is his skilful dribbling.

He is a player who wants the ball at his feet in tight spaces, with close control ability, the sort of low, quick touches that let him weave through defenders in tight areas.

That skillset is paired with electric pace, acceleration and a low centre of gravity that makes him difficult to dispossess even when outmuscled.

His preferred method of attack is to drift wide onto the left, then cut inside onto his stronger right foot, using bursts of speed and body feints to beat his marker before either shooting or looking to combine centrally.

This pattern is familiar to anyone who has watched inverted wingers like Kvaratskhelia become the default template over the past decade.

He is not only a dribbler, but also has genuine playmaking instincts, an eye for a defence-splitting pass, and comfort combining in tight one-twos thanks to reliable close control.

He's also shown he can be useful at set pieces, capable of taking both direct and indirect free kicks, which adds to his open-play threat.

The weaknesses, unsurprisingly for a 17-year-old, are mostly about what has not been tested yet rather than clear flaws in his game.

His frame is the most obvious weakness, with his height being 1.70m (5ft 7in) and still developing physically.

Questions remain over how his body will cope with the physical intensity of senior European football, let alone the Premier League.

Decision-making and efficiency in the final third are the other recurring caveats, which he will improve on as he grows.

The raw tools are there, but knowing when to release the ball, when to shoot and when to slow the game down is a skill that tends to only sharpen with more game time.

Who is Andria Bartishvili compared to?

The comparison that will follow Bartishvili everywhere, at least until he has played enough senior minutes to be judged solely on his own merits, is to Kvaratskhelia.

It is understandable, as both players are Georgian wide attackers who came through the Dinamo Tbilisi academy.

However, the key difference is that Kvaratskhelia had already established himself as a top player in Europe and in Georgian senior football.

Bartishvili is still, by his own club's admission, a year and a half away from even joining his new side.

Inside Arsenal's own team and academy, the more instructive comparisons are less about nationality and more about profile.

His love of running at defenders from wide areas and cutting inside onto his stronger foot echoes the pathway Bukayo Saka carved out for himself.

His low centre of gravity, close control and unpredictability in tight spaces also invite comparisons with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

His status as an academy-track prospect being eased in gradually rather than thrown straight into first-team football mirrors the development path of Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

The midfielder has similar traits to those of Nwaneri and Dowman, who have quick feet and love going at defenders.

Whether he becomes Arsenal's next breakout attacking star or simply another gifted teenager who needs loan spells and time to find his level will depend on his development.

However, the early signs suggest this is a player Arsenal fans will want to keep a close eye on when he joins next summer.