Don't Miss

Arsenal told they are set to made ‘exciting’ signing in Calafiori

By Ritayan Chatterjee on July 24, 2024

Arsenal expert Charles Watts has said that the Gunners are going to make a ‘really exciting signing’ by securing the signature of Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori this summer.

The North London club prioritised strengthening the left side of defence in this transfer window and identified the Italian as the primary option. Mikel Arteta’s side already agreed on personal terms with the player early on this month but were struggling to find an agreement with the Rossoblu.

However, it has recently been reported that Arsenal have found a breakthrough in this deal and have finally agreed on a deal in principle with Bologna. The Emirates club will pay a £34m fee upfront plus £4m in add-ons and additionally, a sell-on clause is set to be included in this deal.

Now, writing on The Daily Briefing, Watts has said that Arsenal had issues in their left-back position last season so Calafiori would be a ‘really exciting signing’ considering he possesses the necessary qualities to flourish in Arteta’s system.

The journalist further claims that this is going to be a really ‘smart’ business as his addition would reinforce Arsenal’s backline even more which looked pretty strong last term. Therefore, this could turn out to be a ‘really scary scenario’ for the rest of the Premier League.

Calafiori to Arsenal

Watts wrote:

“I think it’s a really exciting signing for Arsenal. Left-back was one of two positions in the team last season where there was no real consistency. Arteta was having to mix and match throughout the season, with the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakob Kiwior all filling in there.

“When you look at Calafiori and where his strengths are, he looks like a really smart signing. He has the qualities to invert into midfield from left-back thanks to how comfortable he is with the ball when he drives forward. But if Arteta wants to use Ben White as his inverted full-back on the right, then Calafiori can just move more centrally and make up a three with Gabriel and William Saliba.

“Arsenal were so strong defensively last season and you have to think the addition of the 22-year-old is only going to make them even better at the back. That’s a pretty scary scenario for the rest of the Premier League.”

Calafiori is a talented player and possesses high potential so he is likely to be a great coup for Arsenal. However, it is going to be interesting to see how many more areas of the squad the Emirates club will look to reinforce this summer after securing the Calafiori deal.