Ricardo Calafiori, the young Italian backline star whose performances at the Euro 2024 championship had seemingly impressed the entirety of the football world, has officially joined Arsenal. What would it mean for the gunners if a player such as Calafiori ends up at manager Mikel Arteta’s disposal?
BOMBS FORWARD
In Italy’s game against Albania in the Euro 2024 matchup that went in Italy’s favor 2-1, Calafiori had completed 99 out of 106 forward passes, completed two successful dribbles out of two, and won 6 out of 9 duels.
Calafiori was unfortunate enough to score an own goal which was the only goal scored during his country’s loss to Spain during the second group stage game in the Euros, but he came back in style for the third game, bombing forward in his usual fashion and providing the assist that led to Zaccagani’s last minute equalizer, which would prove to be the group stage qualifying goal against Croatia.
In a August 2020 away game at Juventus, while wearing an AS Roma jersey at the time, Calafiori won his team a crucial penalty while the game was at 1-1, giving Roma the lead and aiding immensely in his team’s 1-3 victory.
Calafiori has also assisted a memorable Tammy Abraham goal during Jose Mourinho’s wonderous first year with the AS Roma team, as a further example of his extraordinary attacking
CLINICAL FINISHER / POWER SHOOTER
Not only is does he move the ball forward; he is also very good in-front of goal. Calafiori has only scored 2 goals in his senior footballing career, both having come in a 3-3 draw against Juventus in the 2023-2024 season, but both goals came in the style of a clinical number 9, particularly the second goal where he dispossessed the Juve midfield at the halfway line for a swift and surprise counter, ran forward, received the loose ball, walked with it into penalty area before a cool dink above the keeper made its way into the net.
His shooting is also quite impressive, as displayed by this goal against BSC Young Boys, which marked his first ever professional European goal.
Arsenal have a huge advantage over other teams now having signed one of the most promising Italian talents of the 2020s. With their own forward venturing centre back a la John Stones, will Arteta finally be able to break Pep and Man City’s reign on top of English football?
