Arsenal legend Ian Wright sends message to Riccardo Calafiori after Emirates switch
Arsenal icon Ian Wright has welcomed the club's new signing Riccardo Calafiori, who was brought in from Bologna for a reported £42 million. Mikel Arteta has preferred to buy players who can play multiple positions and he's done so again.
The Italy international can cover the central defensive areas and play at left-back, where he is expected to be used at the Emirates Stadium. With Gabriel and William Saliba's solid centre-back partnership, the Italian is likely to contend against the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior for the left-back spot.
As Gunners fans continue to speculate the role Calafiori will play for their side, the 22-year-old took to Instagram to announce his arrival. He wrote in the caption while posting an image of signing his five-year contract:
"Finally."
Reacting to the defender's Instagram post, Wright commented (via The Boot Room):
"Welcome amico."
With Calafiori having joined the squad, it remains to be seen whether he will feature for Arsenal in their upcoming friendly against Liverpool on Wednesday (July 31). When asked about whether he will get some minutes against the Reds, Arteta said (via Standard):
"He had a long flight yesterday and a medical over the past 24 hours. Today, he hasn't really done anything with the team, and tomorrow he will probably train some parts. Let's see how he is, we don't want to rush anything. If he's available and fit, great."
The defender was also at Euro 2024 with Italy, where he made three appearances and bagged a goal.
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori reacts to joining Arsenal
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori revealed that he's been dreaming of playing for Arsenal since he was a child. In his first interview, he told the club's official website:
"It feels amazing. It was tough until now, but finally, we're here and I cannot wait to start to train with the team and play for the fans."
"It's actually been my dream since I was 12 or 13 years old because I can see the level of the league here and the best players in the world, for me, play here."
Although fans will be excited to see the former Serie A defender in action, he will have to compete with several others for minutes.
Among those is Jurrien Timber, who missed nearly the entirety of last season due to injury. On top of that, Japan international Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been deployed in the role, which could further be an issue for the new signing.
Mikel Arteta would want to get his first-choice left-back figured out before the Gunners' first Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 17.