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The extended transfer saga of Riccardo Calafiori has finally come to an end as Arsenal confirmed the signing of the defender. Calafiori showed his talents as Bologna finished fifth in Serie A last season, the club’s best finish since the 1970/71 campaign. The league named Calafiori as its player of the month in May. That preceded a sensational spell at Euro 2024, where Calafiori started each of Italy’s group-stage games. He missed the round-of-16 clash against Switzerland due to yellow card accumulation. Italy fell without Calafiori at the back.
According to reports, Arsenal shelled out $50 million to bring Calafiori to the Premier League. As a result, the Gunners bolster arguably the best defensive line in the Premier League. In the 2023/24 campaign, Arsenal conceded just 29 goals. Much of that was a credit to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, the center-back duo that dominated under Mikel Arteta. However, there may be some concern for Calafiori, who played a more consistent role as a center-back under Thiago Motta at Bologna.
That is a welcome issue for Mikel Arteta, who looks to make another run toward a Premier League title this season. Calafiori can fill in as the center-back should Saliba or Gabriel pick up an injury. Yet, he can also play Calafiori out wide. During his development as a player, the Italian started as a wing-back. In the most recent campaign, that led to six appearances as a left-back.
Although fairly limited, that availability is crucial for Mikel Arteta. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney could be on the move. That leaves Jakub Kiwior as the available candidate to play left-back, should the aforementioned players depart. Calafiori would thus naturally fit in that slot, should Mikel Arteta require that of the defender.
Room to grow for Riccardo Calafiori at Arsenal
Looking at Calafiori’s ability, there is no doubt he is a good player. His performances with Bologna had him in contention to be one of the…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-confirms-move-for-bologna-defender-riccardo-calafiori/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-07-29 18:54:02
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