Vlad Dragomir with his agent Catalin Sarmasan, left, and Arsenal’s Dick Law, right

Published: 26 June, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

ARSENAL have made their first signing of the summer – but he’s not arriving at the Emirates Stadium with goalkeeping gloves tucked under his arm. 

The Gunners have snapped up Romania Under-16s captain Vlad Dragomir from ACS Poli Timisoara for a reported fee of £71,000, with the midfielder joining the north Londoners as a first-year scholar. 

Although the club has yet officially to announce the deal, pictures quickly surfaced of the 16-year-old holding an Arsenal shirt alongside his agent, Catalin Sarmasan, and Dick Law, the club’s transfer negotiator. 

Arsenal are set to announce the full list of their first-year scholars next week, with the majority of them having progressed from the club’s Hale End academy. 

Speaking of the newest recruit, Mr Sarmasan said: “I offered Vlad to Arsenal a year and a half ago and they have monitored him closely. 

“In my opinion, he is one of the most talented young players in Europe at the moment.” 

Meanwhile the deal all Gooners are waiting to see finalised is moving closer and closer, with Petr Cech’s move across the capital from Chelsea expected to be completed early next week. 

Reports suggest that Arsenal have agreed a deal in the region of £11million for the 33-year-old, who now just has to undergo a medical having already agreed personal terms in principle. 

If the deal does go through, as is now widely expected, football irony will see Cech set to make his Arsenal debut in the Community Shield on Sunday August 2 – against, of all clubs, Chelsea. 

In other transfer news, the odds on Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin joining Arsenal were slashed on Wednesday following a flurry of bets on the midfielder making the move to north London.