Vlad Dragomir has signed for Italian side Perugia Calcio after being released by Arsenal this summer.

The 19-year-old has put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the club who play in Serie B according to reports from Romania. They also claim he was wanted by AS Monaco.

The Facebook post above is from his manager and it reads, “The club where Vlad Dragomir begins his senior career is called perugia calcio. We want the Italian group to represent as soon as possible a good springboard to top football.”

Vlad Dragomir

Dragomir had been training with his former club, ACS Poli Timisoara in Romania, after he was released by Arsenal this summer.

Signed by Arsenal for €115,000 in 2015 Dragomir was released when the new management team decided he would be unlikely to make it as a first-team regular at the club.

As he talked with a number of other clubs, Dragomir returned to Timisoara to maintain his fitness.

Not that long ago, Dragomir was being talked about as Mesut Ozil’s heir by the media after his move to Arsenal. Only 17 at the time, big things were expected from the midfielder.

“Dragomir is considered one of the best talents of Romanian football,” a piece from Italy claimed.

Vlad Dragomir
Vlad Dragomir signing his Arsenal contract. Picture: Getty Images

“In [his] homeland they compare him to Kroos, in London they see him as the heir to Ozil, who has the same foot.”

Available as a free agent, Dragomir had no problem finding a new home where he will likely go on to impress. Whether he will reach a level that would allow him to become a first teamer at Arsenal is clearly in doubt, however. Otherwise, the club wouldn’t have let him leave.

Dragomir made 33 appearances for Arsenal’s u23 side, scoring six and assisting two. With a further four assists and one goal in 14 u18 appearances, the Timsoaran never played a single minute for the seniors which is a shame because his name is awesome.

His agent, Catalin Sarmasan, has already agreed another deal with Arsenal to bring another talent from Romania to the club in December.

At the time of writing the official Perugia site was not available.