Riccardo Calafiori is looking like an incredible signing for Arsenal.
The Gunners signed the Italian from Bologna in July. He was a wanted man and was on the radar of several huge clubs, but Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta won the race for his signature.
Calafiori hasn’t fully adapted to the English game yet, but he has already produced several fantastic performances in an Arsenal shirt. That has made him a fan favourite.
The defender has now revealed how his move to the Emirates came about.
How Mikel Arteta signed Riccardo Calafiori for Arsenal
Arsenal’s interest in Calafiori didn’t emerge in the media until after the defender’s incredible performances at Euro 2024.
By that point, the Italian was linked with a summer move to clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid. Spurs were even named as the favourites to get him at one stage.
However, not many people know that Arsenal were secretly leading the race to sign Calafiori before other clubs even came into the equation.
The former Bologna man has revealed now that Arteta actually contacted him a whole year before Arsenal made their move to sign him.
The Gunners boss explained the project and wanted to convince Calafiori to join Arsenal, but the 22-year-old has revealed that he didn’t need any convincing – he was ready to move to the Emirates right after the first call.
Calafiori told BBC Sport: “Actually, they started so early, like one year. Mikel started to call me. He just wanted to explain what they think about me.
“He tried to convince me, but I was already convinced.”
Calafiori is about to become even better at Arsenal
Calafiori showed his quality in his first two substitute appearances at Arsenal, but it was in his full debut against Manchester City that he truly announced himself.
The Italy international has been incredible for the Gunners since, but we think he’s going to be even better in the coming months.
That’s because we expect to see Calafiori team up with Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino on the left side of Arsenal’s pitch.
That combination will make the North Londoners significantly stronger, and we think it will bring the best out of all three players.
Calafiori has already promised Arsenal fans that he is going to be much better in the next six months. Ee can’t wait to see how good he will be then.
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