Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori in the summer transfer window after the defender impressed at Euro 2024.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar made it clear that they wanted to sign Calafiori from Bologna, getting the transfer done after great speculation.
Arsenal paid a fee in the region of £42m to acquire the versatile defender, who has impressed greatly since arriving in North London.
Arteta has found great joy in utilising the 22-year-old both centrally and on the left side of defence, with his price tag already starting to look like a bargain.
Riccardo Calafiori shares Premier League verdict after Arsenal transfer
Coming from Roma’s academy, Calafiori has spent the majority of his career in Italy, excluding a decisive year at Basel in Switzerland before he signed for Bologna.
The defender earned the headlines at Euro 2024, which after some time scouting the player, saw Arteta finally call Edu into action to swipe up the Italian’s signature.
Starting the Premier League season on the bench, Calafiori was handed his first start by Arteta at the Etihad in the fierce duel with Manchester City, where the defender did more than just impress at the back.
The summer signing scored a superb goal and announced himself to the Premier League in expert fashion, with him since opening up about the challenges that come with playing in the English top-flight.
In an interview with Italian outlet Rai, relayed by Corriere Dello Sport, the Arsenal ace called the Premier League ‘beautiful’, as well as explaining it’s differences to Serie A.
“The impact was strong right from the start, especially in training because I was coming from the European Championship, directly from vacation and, therefore, I hadn’t been able to train with the group yet,” Calafiori said.
“Coming here was a big leap in terms of intensity, in terms of the different requests from coach to coach.
“It’s a league apart. I don’t feel like saying it’s much superior to Serie A, but it’s really different. The difference even with the slightly smaller teams is that there isn’t this idea of defending because one team is less strong than the other.
“The two teams face each other openly, it’s attack against defence with a very high pace until the end. Even if you’re one, two, three nil, it’s not something you manage, you continue to go strong. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Calafiori is exactly what Mikel Arteta needed
The defender speaks from experience having seen first hand what the Premier League can offer, starting against both Manchester City and Leicester City.
Against the Foxes, Arsenal blew a two-goal lead, reinforcing Calafiori’s comments on the top-flight being able to serve up a surprise no matter the opponent.
The win over Leicester saw the summer arrival impress once more, displaying traits of a fullback that the Gunners were crying out for last season.
Being able to mirror the role of Ben White on the left side was paramount for Arteta during the summer, a task that he’s now achieved by recruiting Calafiori.
It will be interesting to see how the manager’s favoured back four looks throughout the campaign ahead, with the Italian strengthening his claim to the starting XI in recent fixtures.
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