Arsenal are reportedly close to agreeing a deal to sign 22-year-old Italian central defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
Riccardo Calafiori impressed at Euro 2024, meaning interested parties had to act now or lose their chance. It appears Arsenal acted fastest, although it may not be immediately clear why.
Riccardo Calafiori is a ball-playing left center back with a particular talent for dribbling and assisting. It makes sense for Arsenal to sign him but not necessarily as a first priority.
Read: Leny Yoro Signs For Manchester United And Expects To Play
Arsenal fans are still getting to know Mikel Arteta. As a young manager, he’s probably still getting to know himself. One thing we can observe about him is that he’s a bit of a reverse Arsene Wenger in the transfer market.
Wenger was notorious for adding technical attacking players when the team appeared to be crying out for defenders. Arteta, meanwhile, has continually built his Arsenal team from the back without making as many offensive signings. Arteta has upgraded his backline every time he’s had the chance since he took the job.
If you look at Arsenal’s squad, there is no urgent need for another defender. However, we know Arteta is ruthless (ask Aaron Ramsdale) and we know he likes to upgrade the first team. If he is willing to go big on Calafiori, he’s likely eyeing a prominent role for him.
This means one of Jakub Kiwior, Olexandr Zinchenko or Takehiro Tomiyasu is likely to move down the pecking order, or be sold.
Read: Gareth Southgate – The Steward
Of those three, Kiwior and Zinchenko would attract the most interest. Kiwior is incredibly highly rated, especially in Italy, he just hasn’t quite established himself at Arsenal yet. Zinchenko meanwhile unlocks an entire style of play and could move to another giant club.
The only other significant transfer link is Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino. Without any clue as to who Arsenal want to sign in attack, we will probably be waiting until the end of the transfer window to see what Arteta’s plan for the new season is.
