Sport
Anyone who watched Riccardo Calafiori at Euro 2024 saw his potential. While Italy suffered a disappointing tournament, the 22-year-old was a standout performer, drawing attention from Arsenal who are now reportedly leading the race to sign him. This is somewhat surprising given the Gunners’ existing defensive strength.
Indeed, Arsenal’s defensive record was the best in the Premier League last season with the centre back pairing between Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba one of the strongest in Europe. Calafiori is best as a centre back and played there for Italy at Euro 2024, so where would he operate for the North London side?
The answer could be found on the left side of the defence. Calafiori broke through as a left back before being converted to a central defender during his time at Bologna and that side of his game is still evident in the areas of the pitch he occupies during matches. He spends a lot of his time on the left.
At Euro 2024, Calafiori made a habit of bursting forward with the ball in the left half-space. He is excellent at progressing possession out from the defensive line which would give Arsenal another way to move into the midfield. Calafiori is bold and aggressive in his ball-carrying which would give the Gunners something different in their defensive ranks.
Mikel Arteta doesn’t play full backs in a traditional sense and instead prefers centre backs who can play in the wide areas. Ben White presents the perfect example of this on the right side and Calafiori has the skill set to play in a similar way at left back where he would have the freedom to push forward and into the middle.
This would represent the next stage of Arteta’s tactical evolution at the Emirates Stadium. Over time, the Spaniard has turned Arsenal into one of the best defensive units in the Premier League and that progression would continue with the capture of Calafiori, a defensive talent so promising he has been compared to Paolo Maldini.
Tactically, Calafiori’s signing could also give Arteta the flexibility to move into a back three if he wanted to. Calafiori was used as part of a back three by Luciano Spalletti for Italy and Euro 2024 and is comfortable in that role. Arteta has put a lot of effort into building an adaptable squad with depth in an all areas and Calafiori would help with that objective.
Arsenal’s summer transfer business could see them also move for Mikel Merino who is believed to be on their radar after enjoying a successful Euro 2024, just like Calafiori. The Spanish international would provide the Gunners another option in the centre of the pitch and would give them another deep-lying midfielder to operate alongside Declan Rice as part of a double pivot.
It’s possible Arsenal could move for a new centre forward before the end of the summer window. This is an area where the Gunners are lacking in comparison to some of their rivals with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen and Dusan Vlahovic believed to be long-term targets. This could be where Arsenal place their focus over the coming weeks.
For now, though, Arsenal are intent on getting the deal for Calafiori over the line. Arteta has reportedly pushed hard for the signing of the Italian having advocated for the signing of key players like Kai Havertz and David Raya in the past. The Spaniard has a deep understanding of what his team needs and Calafiori has been identified as the player who could help the Gunners reach the next level.
