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After lengthy and complicated negotiations, Arsenal have finally confirmed the arrival of Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori.
But who is the Italian, what will he bring to the side and why is he costing (up to) £40 million? Phil Costa reports.
Arsenal fans know the heartbreak and injustice of injury more than most. The regrets, the what ifs sink themselves into your mind and appear without notice at any given moment. But Riccardo Calafiori has experienced injury on another, more personal level and six years ago, his career was almost over before it started.
His knee was shattered to pieces following a studs-up challenge while playing for Roma in the UEFA Youth League, with scans later revealing that every ligament in his knee was ruptured. Doctors described the damage as “something that normally happens in motocross” while others told local newspapers it was an injury you see “once every ten years”.
But after ten months of rehabilitation, three transfers and just over 2,000 days later, he now finds himself at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Benvenuto, Riccardo Calafiori 🇮🇹
Meeting new teammates for the very first time ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JbUhqOBCMN
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 29, 2024
Calafiori initially broke through as a left back for boyhood club Roma, although he was tall, wiry and looked like a mild breeze could knock him over. His body was very different to what it is now, and that played a major role in him falling out of favour under José Mourinho (who was manager at the time). After a disappointing loan at Genoa, the defender and his agent sought a club where he could reinvent himself – which is where Basel stepped in.
Under Heiko Vogel, Calafiori was used in a back three system which maximised his technical quality but also called on him to improve physically with more space to cover, both in behind and in midfield. That season in Switzerland was the making of who we see today, with his real breakthrough coming for…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/07/new-signing-profile-riccardo-calafiori/
Author : Phil Costa
Publish date : 2024-07-29 16:53:56
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