After a few weeks of speculation, it is now official that Riccardo Calafiori has joined Arsenal for a reported fee of up to £42 million, including add-ons. The Italian centre-back had an impressive season at Serie A underdogs Bologna as they secured Champions League qualification with a fourth place league finish. He has previously also played for both Basel and Roma.
Calafiori was also a stalwart for Italy in the EUROs gone by, featuring in every game apart from the Azzurri's loss in the round of 16 to Switzerland.
But what is it for Arteta that convinced him Calafiori was the man needed to bolster Arsenal's defence? Let's have a look:
Playstyle
Calafiori is a calm and confident defender who can play both at centre-and left back. Under Bologna manager Thiago Motta, he was shifted to a more central position in defence due to his ability at effectively distributing out from the back. If there is no open man to pass to, he is also confident at carrying out from the back - he ranks in the 81st percentile of players in the top 5 European leagues for progressive carries. Combined with his abilities going forward, he is also an extremely solid defender; his 3.92 tackles plus interceptions per game puts him in the top 10 percent of all defenders in the Italian first tier.
Arteta's plans
Arsenal's defending over the past year has been extremely solid, but one position of scrutiny has been the left back role. Primary wing back Oleksandr Zinchenko has been lambasted for his ability in 1v1 scenarios and tendency to unsuccessfully complete challenges. Calafiori will offer a more natural defensive approach if he is played there - despite plying his trade as a centre back for the past year, it seems Arteta has plans to play him on the left hand side. Not only would he offer solidarity for the back line, Arsenal are often left with a back three if a wing-back pushes up - Calafiori and right-back Ben White can cover for each other in these aspects in a way Zinchenko couldn't. Inverting into the midfield is also a trait required by Arsenal left-backs, and Calafiori has shown that he can do damage in central areas from his time under Motta at Bologna.
The Italian is set to wear number 33 for the Gunners, and on joining Arsenal, Calafiori said "I hope we are going to do something great this season."
The defender is to join up with the Arsenal squad soon to join the team on their US Tour.
