Benvenuto, Riccardo Calafiori – Arsenal have officially confirmed the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian international moves to North London on a long-term contract from Serie A giants Bologna.
The 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Gunners for some time now, but his holiday schedule, complemented by Bologna struggling to find a considerable replacement, delayed the transfer. But he is here now; he is finally an Arsenal player. He is home.
Benvenuto, Riccardo Calafiori 🇮🇹
Meeting new teammates for the very first time ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JbUhqOBCMN
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 29, 2024
Manager Mikel Arteta & Edu welcomes Calafiori
Manager Mikel Arteta spoke to Arsenal’s official website about his arrival. He not only welcomed the Italian international to the Arsenal family but also spoke about the ‘aura’ that Calafiori carries.
Mikel said:
“We welcome Riccardo and his family to Arsenal. He is a great signing and gives us huge strength to reinforce our defence.
“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 really impressive.
“We’re looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him in the years to come.”
Like Mikel, Edu also spoke about the excitement that him and the coaching staff at London Colney shares by welcoming the 22-year-old to Arsenal.
Sporting Director Edu, in an interview with Arsenal official website, said: “It has been a great team effort in completing this transfer and we welcome Riccardo to the family.
“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.
“Riccardo has consistently shown his quality for his club and country. He was one of the best players in Serie A last season, and gave strong performances for Italy in the Euros this summer. Mikel and our coaches are excited to start working with Riccardo, and we all look forward to seeing him in our shirt.”.
Riccardo Calafiori will don the 33 number going into the 2024/25 campaign, the same number that he wore at his former side Bologna.
We welcome Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal, and just like Arteta, Edu and the staff – we are equally excited about the possibilities we can explore with the Italian international in the squad.
