Fabio Cannavaro has revealed that he is a big fan of Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori and thinks he’s one of the best in the Italian national team.
Calafiori has become one of the best left-backs in the Premier League since joining Arsenal, and the team have really missed him following his recent injury.
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Mikel Arteta has done a great job working with the 23-year-old, and Cannavaro now believes he is ‘really’ strong for the national team.
The defender is just returning from an injury, and Italy will be hoping he is back soon ahead of March’s World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Fabio Cannavaro praises Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori
Fabio Cannavaro has been full of praise for Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori, listing him as one of Italy’s best players.
The youngster is one of the national team’s biggest hopes ahead of next summer’s World Cup, and he will be key in helping them get there.
The last decade or so has not been great for Italy, but with a defender like Calafiori emerging, giving the Azzurri every chance of getting back to their best.
“We are a national team that has strong players, because we have Donnarumma, we have Tonali, we have Calafiori, the players are there. But now it’s not like it was before,” Cannavaro told Podpah.
“It’s also about our league. When we won in 2006, Lippi could choose from a squad that was about 70% Italian players and 30% foreigners. Nowadays, Gattuso can only choose from around 30%, because 70% are foreign players.”
Cannavaro also listed Arsenal target Sandro Tonali as one of the national team’s best players, showing that Andrea Berta should be targeting him.
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Berta held talks with Tonali on deadline day; however, the move was not possible, and he instead remained at Newcastle.
Arsenal could return for Tonali in the summer as they look to bolster their depth in the middle of the park.
Riccardo Calafiori on Mikel Arteta
Calafiori has credited Arteta for the improvements which he has helped make to his game and is so happy he joined Arsenal.
“I can describe his mentality like he doesn’t care if it’s the first day of pre-season or the Champions League final, he will train us in the same way,” Calafiori told Sports Illustrated FC.
“He really wants you to train as if you’re playing a game. I see how much he cares about me, how much he’s focused. I want to know how much he wants me to improve.”
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