RIccardo Calafiori’s career could have been over before it began. Six years ago, while playing for Roma’s youth team against Viktoria Plzen, he suffered a horrific tackle that shattered his knee and tore all the ligaments in his meniscus. “The biggest battle of my life awaits me and I certainly can’t turn back,” Calafiori, 16, wrote on Instagram as he began a year of recovery. Had he been older and his body not yet developing, he might not have recovered as he has.
Fast forward to today and Calafiori is in The pinnacle of a high-profile movement The 22-year-old was one of a handful of Italian players to emerge unscathed from Euro 2024 after a shady defence of their title in Germany this summer. The young centre-back's performances caught the eye of Europe's elite, with Arsenal hoping to win the fight for his services.
Arsenal conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Premier league Last season he scored just 29 goals in 38 games, but Mikel Arteta is keen to reduce that figure further. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães have been the league's most solid pillars, with David Raya shining behind them, who has won the Golden Glove, keeping more clean sheets (16) than any other goalkeeper.
Arsenal were thought to be prioritising a striker when the season ended, but their attention has turned to signing Calafiori, who Bologna He is valued at £42m. He was excellent for Italy at Euro 2024 alongside central defensive partner Alessandro Bastoni and was excellent last season for Bologna, who secured a top-four finish in Serie A under Thiago Motta.
Yeah Arsenal If Calafiori has such a solid defence, why would they spend so much money on another centre-back? Because Calafiori is so versatile. Arteta wants his players to be able to fulfil multiple roles, especially in defence. Calafiori is unlikely to dislodge Saliba or Magalhães as the first choice in the centre of the defensive line, but his ability to play left-back will appeal to Arteta.
Left-back was a problem position for Arsenal last season, with no fewer than four players in that position in the league. Jurriën Timber, who had joined from Ajax for £34m in the summer, was called up for the opening game of the season, a 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest, but had to leave the field in the 50th minute due to an ACL injury and did not play again until the final game of the season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was tipped to be the long-term solution at left-back when he joined from Manchester City two years ago for £30m, but the Ukrainian's defensive problems really came to the fore last season. Jakub Kiwior finished the season in the role but, while solid defensively, lacked the attacking impetus that Zinchenko brought to the team.
Arsenal, who have lost stability on the left following the departure of Granit Xhaka, have focused their attacks on the opposite flank. The signing of Calafiori could restore balance to the team. The Italian combines Kiwior's defensive solidity with Zinchenko's willingness to move forward into midfield.
Despite starting just 26 of 38 league games, Calafiori ranked sixth for interceptions (50) in Serie A last season. His willingness to press and cut out danger preemptively would allow Arsenal to quickly transition from defence to attack. He scored the fourth-most counter-attacking goals (seven) in the Premier League last season and his impressive reading of the game could help them generate even quicker counter-attacks.
Calafiori is comfortable in possession and likes to carry the ball into the opposition half, which would help Arsenal. The left-back’s job in this Arsenal team has not been to overlap in the style of Ben White on the opposite flank, but rather to move inside to maintain dominance in the middle of the park when Martin Ødegaard and the left central midfielder (last season, initially Kai Havertz and then Declan Rice) move into the opposition half to support the attack.
While this potentially leaves Saliba and Magalhães exposed, the full-backs have the recovery speed to drop back into position when the centre-backs drift wide. Calafiori and White have experience playing as centre-backs, so won't feel exposed if they have to cover the centre of defence. This should also help Arsenal control play in the middle of the park and quickly win back possession to relieve any pressure on their goal.
Equally importantly, Calafiori is willing to attack whenever he can, not just to move into midfield but also to provide another outlet for attack. His assist for Mattia Zaccagni’s last-minute equaliser against Croatia at Euro 2024 was a prime example of what he can offer in the final third of the pitch. Calafiori prowled from defence to attack before setting up the Lazio player to beat Dominik Livakovic in the 98th minute. He scored two goals and provided seven assists for Bologna in Serie A last season – those numbers will only increase if he moves to Arsenal.
Calafiori’s nickname as a youngster was “Ruspa” (Bulldozer), which is very appropriate given the way he charges forward at top speed, crushing everyone in front of him. Arsenal fans should be very excited at the prospect of Calafiori joining the club. England’s strongest defence is about to become even harder to break down.
