Arsenal summer signing Tommy Setford will now step up to take the third-choice position in the goalkeeping department after the club failed to sign a second goalie during the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic.
The Gunners lost England international Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton on deadline day, while his Estonia international counterpart Karl Hein joined Real Valladolid on loan for the rest of the season after signing a new deal.
Arsenal brought in Neto from Bournemouth yesterday and were looking to sign another goalie, making a final inquiry over Wolverhampton Wanderers man Dan Bentley on deadline day having had two bids dismissed earlier in the summer.
Unfortunately, the move did not succeed as it was impossible for Wolves to source a replacement, and Setford will now be the third-choice behind David Raya and Neto.
However, it is not an entirely satisfactory outcome, with the Athletic reporting that some at Arsenal feel his development would be best served by remaining with the academy.
The 18-year-old joined the Gunners from Ajax in a £850,000 deal and was part of their pre-season tour of the United States.
The England youth international was signed to join their academy, and while training regularly with the first-team goalkeeping group was always part of their immediate plans for him, the development pathway was to integrate him into their under-21s academy group.
However, Setford will now be spending the majority of his time with the first-team as Arsenal must name three goalkeepers in their final 23-man Premier League squad and could prefer to keep naming three goalies in every matchday squad going forward.
Neto will be getting to play in the Cup competitions and when Raya is rested, and whether Setford will see any minutes with the first-team this season remains to be seen, which could be detrimental to his development going forward.
