Tommy Setford 1

Biography

It was “needs must” at the very least when Tommy Setford came to Boro’ on the last day of the 2026 summer transfer window. The young Arsenal stopper arrived after it had been confirmed that number one Filip Marschall had been sold to Millwall. The move had left Daniel Barden as our sole ‘keeper (unless you count Max Woodford coming back from a loan spell). So, Setford’s signature was pretty necessary. The good news, after all that, is that we’d been entrusted by the Gunners with a highly thought-of player. And there were benefits to the move for both parties.

Tommy Setford: Before Boro’

Setford didn’t have much senior experience to his name prior to coming here. To be fair to the lad, he’d accumulated one or two outings in Gunners colours – no mean feat given how challenging it is to break into a Premier League side. Apart from that, he’d not actually been out on loan or anything like that. Somewhat impressively, mind, is the fact that he’d commanded a €1m fee on his move from the Ajax academy to north London. Yet, despite his Dutch origins, Setford is very much on the England pathway; turning out for the Three Lions at U16, U17, U18, U19, U20, and U21 level!