Arsenal Announces The Signing Of Riccardo Calafiori From Bologna

Italy defender, Riccardo Calafiori, has completed his move to Arsenal from Bologna in a deal worth £42 million ($53.9m), the north London club announced on Monday.

Calafiori has signed a five-year contract and joined up with his teammates in Philadelphia as the Gunners continue their preseason tour of the United States. He will wear the No. 33.

Other clubs, including Juventus, submitted multiple bids earlier this month, but Calafiori was always inclined to join Arsenal after discussions with technical director Edu and Mikel Arteta.

The 22-year-old played a pivotal role for Bologna last season helping the team achieve Champions League qualification for the first in 60 years.

“It has been a great team effort in completing this transfer and we welcome Riccardo to the family,” Edu said.

“We identified Riccardo as part of our strategy to sign players who fit our profile and will reinforce our squad to compete at the highest level. He is 22 but brings quality and experience. He will quickly grow into being an Arsenal player.”

The Bologna star has joined the Gunners ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and is anticipated to play a crucial role in Mikel Arteta’s defense as the club seeks to end its 20-year drought for Premier League trophies.

Calafiori’s reputation soared during the European Championship in Germany this summer where he stood out as one of the few bright spots in an Italy team that was eliminated in the round 16 by Switzerland.

He started all three group matches but was unavailable for the clash against Switzerland due to a suspension.

Calafiori’s playing style and signing fees

Calafiori, who began his career at Roma, leaves Bologna after just one season at the club. While primarily deployed at center-back under Thiago Motta, Calafiori is equally comfortable at left-back.

Negotiations became more challenging due to a 50% sell-on clause held by his former club Basel, requiring any profit from the transfer to be divided between both clubs.

Calafiori is set to join a distinguished group of Arsenal defenders. With William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes already solidified as the team’s first-choice center-back pairing, Calafiori’s versatility to play both centrally and at left-back will complement Arteta’s inclination to utilize inverted full-backs.

The talented player has also shown an ability to step into midfield, advancing with the ball to open up pockets of space.

Reports indicate that Arsenal has reached an agreement with the Italian side to acquire Calafiori for a fee of €40 million, with an additional €5 million in add-ons. Negotiations were prolonged, as Bologna was keen to make a profit on their star defender.

Calafiori is the second high-profile exit from Bologna this summer, with striker Joshua Zirkzee joining Manchester United for £36.5 million ($43m) earlier this month.

Manager Mikel Arteta on Riccardo

Manager Mikel Arteta said, “We welcome Riccardo and his family to Arsenal. He is a great signing and gives us huge strength to reinforce our defense.

“Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies. He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being impressive.

“We’re looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him in the years to come.”

Arsenal take on Liverpool in a friendly on Wednesday.