Mikel Arteta is involved in every major footballing decision at Arsenal.
The Spaniard has earned the trust of Stan and Josh Kroenke over the last six years, and he has a lot of control over the day-to-day running of the club.
One of the things Arteta is heavily involved in is player recruitment. No player is brought into the club if the Arsenal manager does not want him there.
There have even been times when people at the club are not keen on a particular signing, but Arteta has overruled them and sealed those deals.
One such instance involved Riccardo Calafiori.
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What people inside Arsenal warned Mikel Arteta about Riccardo Calafiori
Arsenal signed Calafiori from Bologna in a deal worth £42 million, including add-ons. (BBC)
The Italian mainly played as a centre-half at his old club, but Mikel Arteta viewed him as a left-back from his very first day at the club.
Calafiori has produced a number of incredible performances for Arsenal. He is a very unique player whose skill set makes him a nightmare to defend against.
However, the biggest problem for the former AS Roma man has been injuries, and people at the club warned Arteta about this.
The Arsenal boss, however, ignored all those concerns and brought him to the club.
That’s according to The Athletic’s James McNicholas, who said on Arseblog: “I almost think he’s been willing to make Calafiori a bit of an exception because he is an exceptional player.
“Even when we signed him, you know, there were definitely people within the club who were warning about his injury record and that potentially being an issue, but I think Mikel overrode that because he was such a believer in his talent.”
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Arsenal have a decision to make on Riccardo Calafiori
Calafiori has had a torrid time with injuries since he signed for Arsenal.
Since joining the Gunners in the summer of 2024, the Italy international has missed a total of 43 games over a period of 231 days.
Calafiori is currently injured as well, so that number is likely to go up, which is a really poor record.
The 23-year-old is an outrageous talent and has the potential to be among the very best. However, availability is a crucial trait to have in the modern game, and he has struggled with that.
Unless there is a clear sign that he can stay fit for a long period, Arsenal should make the tough decision of selling him in the summer.
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