Published Jun 5, 2026, 6:41 PM GMT+1

Tom is a football journalist with five years of experience. He has been featured in the Non-League Paper, Crawley Observer, Sussex Express and The RedmenTV - producing features, news and conducting interviews.

For Football FanCast, Tom has sat down with a number of names from the industry, including Ally McCoist, Philippe Senderos and Chris Waddle. Elsewhere, he has covered the National League South final, the Formula E London Prix, Crawley Town and Brighton’s U21s.

Tom enjoys writing features about teams in the Football League and Premier League, whilst also receiving the opportunity to conduct interviews on behalf of FFC.

Having written for The RedmenTV, he is particularly an expert on all things Liverpool.

Fresh from winning the Premier League and only coming up short in the Champions League final on penalties, Arsenal are in the mood for further upgrades.

Now that the Gunners have returned to their English throne for the first time in 22 years, Andrea Berta is keen to ensure that it's a long reign rather than a fleeting visit at the very top.

That could see a number of names arrive, the biggest of which being Julian Alvarez. Whilst Atletico Madrid have made their stance clear on Barcelona's interest, those in North London could still swoop in to provide a fresh rival for the Catalan giants.

Alvarez is not the only name on the Gunners' shortlist, though. According to SportsBoom, Arsenal are readying their move to sign Honest Ahanor from Atalanta this summer, pushing even the likes of Real Madrid to one side in the process.

The Serie A side value their young defender at a hefty €60m (£52m), with interest arriving from Los Blancos, as well as Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Man City.

Quite simply, the 18-year-old is a man in demand across almost every top European club. If there was any time for Arsenal to flex their English crown to win a key transfer race, it is now.

The Emirates has certainly become the place for young defenders to be in recent times. Cristhian Mosquera became the latest name to complete a move last summer and Ahanor could now follow suit in the coming months.

Why Arsenal are targeting "phenomenon" Ahanor

On paper, it may sound absurd that Arsenal are targeting yet another defender. Their backline has more depth than any other in the Premier League and perhaps even in European football. Ahanor is just too good a talent to turn down, however.

Dubbed a "phenomenon" by scout Jacek Kulig, the Italian has already made his mark on Atalanta's first-team, starting 19 games in all competitions this season. He's done everything to earn a big move in the coming months.

The numbers provide plenty of credit to Kulig's praise. Compared to William Saliba in a small dose, Ahanor was more aggressive and enjoyed better duel success than the Frenchman this season.

Meanwhile, in possession, he is showing all the signs of becoming an elite-level centre-back. Whether that takes place at Arsenal, Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Chelsea, is the big question that remains unanswered.

Read next: Arsenal submit bid to sign the second coming of Rice