Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori would fix Arsenal’s left-back problem
Mikel Arteta picked four different left-backs last season – hence his desire to sign the versatile Bologna defender
By Ben McAleer for WhoScored
Riccardo Calafiori’s career could have been over before it had even started. Six years ago, while playing for the Roma youth team against Viktoria Plzen, he was on the receiving end of a horrendous tackle that destroyed his knee, rupturing all of the ligaments in his meniscus. “There is the most important battle of my life ahead of me, and I certainly cannot back down,” wrote the 16-year-old Calafiori on Instagram as he began a year of recovery. Had he been any older, and had his body still not been developing, he might not have recovered the way he has.
Fast-forward to the present day and Calafiori is on the cusp of a high-profile move to Arsenal. The 22-year-old was one of a few Italy players to come out of Euro 2024 with any credit after they put up a turgid defence of their title in Germany this summer. The young centre-back’s performances caught the eye of Europe’s elite, with Arsenal hoping to win the scramble for his services.