Riccardo Calafiori has now officially signed for Arsenal on a long-term contract. Calafiori agreed to join Arsenal a long time ago, and the wait was for just seeing the deal being closed and concrete, which is finally now the case. Reportedly, it’s a five-year contract that expires in 2029, also with a clause to renew it even further.
The new signing, at just 22 years old, has left a great mark on his former club Bologna FC in Italy. He played a vital role in the Bolognese side, having been able to help them secure a spot in the upcoming Champions League season after sixty years of waiting. He has even netted two goals and has had five assists being a defender, which is quite an impressive stat in itself. He was the top priority of Arsenal even one year ago, in the 2023 summer transfer window. The Italian international will thereby receive a salary of 42 million euros plus the 5 million euros as bonuses.
Riccardo Calafiori has a lot to prove
Although Riccardo Calafiori’s statistics have been incredibly good in the past, he will now enter a new phase and will not have an easy task in the Premier League. He has been signed to handle and restore the pride of the Gunners. With the presence of experienced players like Ben White, Willian Saliba, and Zinchenko, Calafiori has a lot of work to be put in to retain his importance in the interest of the team.
Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season, finishing with 89 points; they just trailed by two points behind the champions Manchester City, who had 91 points in the whole season. As the London Reds approach the upcoming season, they have signed this young talent who is already considered an ‘Italian Veteran’ by their countrymen.
Plenty of options
It won’t be easy for the young defender. Serie A is a sort of league where almost every club uses defensive tactics playing the game, whereas the Premier League has a very fast-moving kind of playing style where even a blink of an eye can result in a goal for the opponents. To make his space in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI, a lot of effort and hard work have to be done to make space in the star-studded squad.
Due to his versatile nature on the pitch, the left-footed defender can play both as a center-back and also left-back. This allows him to take the place either of Ben White or Willian Saliba as a center-back or replace Zinchenko whenever required as a left-back. Also, he can come on late in the game post-halftime as a substitute and make a significant difference.
How defender helps Arsenal
Riccardo Calafiori is very good at physical battles and defending. Although he is a defender, he has a deep knowledge of ball positioning. He knows very well how to create spaces from the deep defensive line to the opponent’s penalty area. He is confident with the ball and has a great quality of ball distribution throughout the field.
There will be several times in the season where he needs to prove himself decisive to become a regular starter in the team. Those will be the highly-profiled matches such as the London Derby (against Chelsea), the clash against the defending champions of England (Man City), or maybe some Champions League nights where his good performance can boost up his form and make him a prominent player for the club.
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