Arsenal have accomplished the signing of defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna in a deal price £42m.
The 22-year-old, who can play at centre-back or left-back, has signed a five-year contract with the Gunners till 2029 and he additional strengthens a defensive unit that conceded solely 29 objectives and stored 18 clear sheets within the Premier League.
Sky Sports activities Information understands one other Premier League membership, in addition to Juventus and Actual Madrid, tried to signal the Italy worldwide this month. There have been bids from different golf equipment within the final two weeks, however Calafiori solely needed a transfer to Arsenal and gave his phrase he would be a part of Mikel Arteta’s facet.
Arsenal have been understood to be impressed by his want to affix the membership – a want that was strengthened in conversations with supervisor Arteta and sporting director Edu.
Calafiori turns into Arsenal’s second main summer time signing after the £27m arrival of goalkeeper David Raya.
Riccardo Calafiori will be a part of Arsenal out in the USA after finishing his medical in London on Saturday. Italian soccer knowledgeable Mina Rzouki explains what the defender will carry to the Premier League.
Calafiori’s consultant Alessandro Lucci, from World Soccer Company, labored with each golf equipment over the previous month to make sure a deal would get finished.
Bologna purchased Calafiori from Swiss membership Basel final summer time for €4m (£3.4m), with Basel making 50 per cent of Bologna’s revenue on the deal.
Talking on the Switch Speak Podcast, Sam Tighe explains why Riccardo Calafiori makes excellent sense for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal
Probably the most highly-rated defenders in Europe final season, Calafiori shone at Euro 2024 regardless of Italy’s early exit in Germany, along with his presence sorely missed by means of suspension within the then holders’ last-16 exit to Switzerland.
‘A giant character and character’
Upon signing Calafiori, Arsenal boss Arteta stated: “We welcome Riccardo and his household to Arsenal. He is a superb signing and provides us big power to strengthen our defence.
“Riccardo is an enormous character and character, with particular expertise which can make us stronger as we push to win main trophies. He has already proven nice improvement in latest seasons along with his performances for each Bologna and Italy, along with his development and improvement up to now yr being actually spectacular.
“We’re trying ahead to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him within the years to return.”
The place will Calafiori slot in at Arsenal?
The query now’s the place Calafiori will slot in at Arsenal. It’ll show troublesome to dislodge Arsenal’s first-choice centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who’ve featured collectively 79 occasions over the previous two campaigns.
Arsenal additionally had the meanest defence within the Premier League final season, solely conceding 29 objectives. But whereas Ben White, Gabriel and Saliba have been mainstays of the backline, the left-back berth is an space for summer time surgical procedure.
None of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu claimed the position constantly final season, whereas Jurrien Timber, who began the earlier marketing campaign in that position, is barely simply again from a severe knee damage.
So is left-back Calafiori’s greatest wager for an instantaneous Arsenal spot, ought to the transfer come up?
Arteta continues to bolster his defence
Sam Tighe tells Dharmesh Sheth on the Switch Speak podcast why Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta is so eager to signal Bologna defender Calafiori
Arsenal set a membership file for objectives scored within the Premier League final season with 91. Nevertheless it was defensively that they actually excelled. The Gunners solely conceded 29 occasions, 5 fewer than Manchester Metropolis. No facet bought near their tally of 18 clear sheets.
Their excellent defensive efforts have been a end result of a deliberate technique by Mikel Arteta to construct this Arsenal facet from again to entrance. Strengthening their foundations has been a precedence and it continues with their deal for Calafiori.
With him included, 18 of Arsenal’s 24 first-team signings below Arteta have been both goalkeepers, defenders or defensive midfielders, for charges totalling £488m. It’s greater than twice as a lot as they’ve spent on solely six attacking midfielders or forwards.
In a deal price as much as £42m, Calafiori will change into the sixth-most costly signing since Arteta’s appointment, guaranteeing that, of the highest seven, 5 are defensive gamers, led by the £105m Declan Rice, whereas solely two, in Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, are attackers.
Arteta has acknowledged that title wins are constructed on defences and continues to assemble his squad accordingly.
Who else are Arsenal making an attempt to signal this summer time?
Sky Sports activities’ Melissa Reddy explains the place Arsenal are nonetheless trying to strengthen on this summer time switch window and which gamers may nonetheless go away.
Along with Calafiori, David Raya has accomplished a everlasting transfer however attacking additions can’t be dominated out if Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe transfer on as anticipated.
Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures
- July 20: Arsenal 2-0 Leyton Orient
- July 25: Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth
- July 28: Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd
- August 1: Arsenal vs Liverpool – Lincoln Monetary Subject, Philadelphia, kick-off 12.30am
- August 7: Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 6pm
- August 11: Arsenal vs Lyon, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 2pm
When does the summer time switch window open and shut?
The 2024 summer time switch window formally closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time within the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has introduced ahead Deadline Day to hyperlink up with the opposite main leagues in Europe. The time limits have been set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
