Arsenal have signed defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for a fee believed to be worth £42m.
The 22-year-old, who can play at centre-back or left-back, has signed a five-year contract with Arsenal until 2029 and further strengthens a defence that has conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League and kept 18 clean sheets.
Sky Sports News We know that other Premier League clubs, Juventus and Real Madrid have been trying to sign the Italian international this month, and there have been bids from other clubs in the past two weeks, but Calafiori is determined to move to Arsenal and has promised to join Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal have been impressed by his desire to join the club, a desire that has been further strengthened following talks with manager Arteta and sporting director Edu.
Speaking at a press conference about Arsenal's pre-season tour of the United States, Calafiori said: “I've been talking to the coach and Edu for almost two months. They tried to convince me, but I was already convinced to come here. For me, it's the best project I can do as a player.
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Arsenal new signing Riccardo Calafiori says he wants to win trophies and says the north London club are the best project for him.
“There were other clubs, but I don't care anymore. I'm here and I want to develop and win trophies. The team is young and strong and I like it.
“Now that I'm here, I know I have to improve every day with the training team. When I get really fit, I'm happy to be able to help the team. Hopefully.
“It feels good. I can't explain it. But when you see it on the pitch, you'll know for sure that it was the right choice.”
Asked if he would play as a left-back or centre-back, the Italian added: “We haven't talked much about that role. I just want to play and improve. It's about the team and what we need. I can play in other positions, it doesn't really matter. I just want to play.”
Calafiori becomes Arsenal's second major summer signing after goalkeeper David Raya was signed for £27m.
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On the Transfer Talk Podcast, Sam Tighe explains why Riccardo Calafiori is a perfect fit for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
Alessandro Lucci, Calafiori's agent at the World Football Association (WSA), worked with both clubs last month to get the deal done.
Bologna bought Calafiori from Swiss club Basel for €4m (£3.4m) last summer, with Basel taking a 50% cut of Bologna's profits in the deal.
One of the most highly rated defenders in Europe last season, Calafiori shone at Euro 2024 despite Italy's early exit in Germany, having been suspended as the reigning champions were knocked out in the last 16 by Switzerland.
Arteta: I've been monitoring Calafiori for over a year
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Mikel Arteta says the signing of defender Riccardo Calafiori has improved the competitiveness and quality of his Arsenal squad.
Ahead of Arsenal's pre-season friendly against Liverpool in Philadelphia, Arteta said of new signing Calafiori: “I'm really happy. It took a while, but he's a player we've been monitoring for over a year. We were really short on numbers at the back last year and we asked too much of them.
“For example, William Saliba has played every game in the Premier League and I think we need to be more protected.
“We identified him as a talent who can give us the skills and qualities that will make us better. We are signing a player with tremendous potential that still needs to be developed.
“When I spoke to him a couple of times and found out about other things (that teams were interested), I wasn't sure if we could do it.
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Riccardo Calafiori is set to join Arsenal in the United States after undergoing a medical in London on Saturday. Italian football expert Mina Rozzucci explains what the defender could bring to the Premier League.
“But he was adamant: 'Let me know when you're ready, my bag is ready and I just want to go to Arsenal'. That's what he said and when you have that feeling, when you have someone with the will and determination to join us and make us better, that's really powerful and as a club we should be really proud of that.
“He's in really good shape. His English is really good, and he already understood what we wanted because I explained it to him, and he was very excited. Let's go day by day.”
Will he be a left-back or a centre-back? “Considering the way we want to play and what we want to develop in our game, he'll fit really well into what we want in both positions.
“It increases quality and competition and is great for the team.”
Where will Calafiori fit in at Arsenal?
The question now is where Calafiori will fit in at Arsenal. It will be difficult to displace Arsenal's first-choice centre-back pair of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who have made 79 appearances together over the past two seasons.
Arsenal had the weakest defence in the Premier League last season, conceding just 29 goals. However, while Ben White, Gabriel and Saliba were the backbone of the defence, the left-back position is one that needs surgery in the summer.
None of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kivior or Takehiro Tomiyasu were regulars in this role last season, while Urien Timber, who has been in the role since the previous season, is only just returning from a serious knee injury.
So, if Calafiori were to move to Arsenal, would he be the most likely to become a regular player for the Gunners?
Arteta continues to strengthen defense
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Sam Teig tells Dharmesh Sheth on the Transfer Talk podcast why Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants to sign Bologna defender Calafiori
Arsenal set a club record last season by scoring 91 Premier League goals. But where they really excelled was their defense. The Gunners conceded just 29 goals, five fewer than Manchester City. No team came close to keeping 18 clean sheets.
Their outstanding defensive effort was the culmination of Mikel Arteta's deliberate strategy to build Arsenal from the back to the front. Strengthening their base has been a priority and that continues with the deal for Calafiori.
Including him, 18 of Arteta's 24 first-team signings for Arsenal have been goalkeepers, defenders or defensive midfielders, costing a combined £488m – more than double what they spent on six attacking midfielders or forwards.
The deal, worth up to £42m, makes Calafiori the sixth-most expensive signing since Arteta took office, while five of the top seven are defenders, with Declan Rice leading the pack on £105m, while only two attackers are Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Arteta acknowledges that title-winning power hinges on defence and continues to build his squad accordingly.
Who else are Arsenal looking to sign this summer?
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Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy explains which areas Arsenal still need to strengthen during this summer's transfer window and which players could leave.
Add to Calafia, David Raya The permanent move is complete, but aggressive additions cannot be ruled out. Eddie Nketiah and Emil Smith low It went as expected.
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
- July 20th: Arsenal 2-0 Leyton Orient
- July 25th: Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth
- July 28th: Arsenal 2-1 Man U
- August 1st: Arsenal vs Liverpool – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Kick-off 12:30am
- August 7th: Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen, Emirates Stadium, 6pm kick-off
- August 11th: Arsenal vs Lyon, Emirates Stadium, 2pm kick-off
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
that much Summer transfer window 2024 The Premier League officially ends on August 30th at 11pm UK time, 11.30pm SST.
The Premier League has brought forward its deadline to tie up with other major European leagues. The deadline was set following discussions with leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
