Published Jun 1, 2026, 11:41 AM 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.

After losing Anthony Gordon to Barcelona in a deal worth £69m, the Magpies should have money to spare ahead of the transfer window. And, this time, they must spend it wisely.

It was a nightmare campaign for Eddie Howe and his side, which started with a summer centred around poor recruitment. PIF backed Newcastle in full, spending over £150m on Yoane Wissa, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Elanga, only for all to struggle at St James' Park.

Almost 12 months on, there must not be a repeat. It's why new sporting director Ross Wilson has such a tough task on his hands and why he's already set his sights on several names.

That includes in midfield. With Sandro Tonali still attracting plenty of attention, the Magpies have shifted their focus towards any potential replacements for the Italian in the Serie A.

According to IL Mattino, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle have made contact to sign Arthur Atta from Udinese "in the last few hours" and are set to accelerate their move for the midfielder worth €40m (£35m).

It's an asking price that Newcastle are more than capable of reaching, especially after selling Gordon, and Atta would be worth every penny if he eased concerns about replacing Tonali.

Why £35m Atta could replace Tonali

It wasn't so long ago that a Serie A midfielder was taking the Premier League by storm for the first time. It was Newcastle who also benefitted then, when Tonali found his best form. Now, Atta could be next in line.

Whilst Atta is not at the same level as Tonali out of possession, he does offer more of a threat going forward and Newcastle could certainly do with the added goals.

It was their attack which struggled most this season, as they felt the absence of Alexander Isak in full. Adding goals from midfield would be one way to help solve that problem.

At £35m, there's every chance that Atta turns into the bargain deal that the Magpies have been searching for, especially if Tonali heads for the exit door.

Read next: Club now ready to sell Newcastle's top target