"It’s only the beginning" - William Saliba makes Riccardo Calafiori claim after Arsenal beat Lyon
Arsenal defender William Saliba made an exciting claim about new signing Riccardo Calafiori after he made his Gunners debut against Olympique Lyonnais in a pre-season friendly. The 22-year-old came off the bench in the second half and delivered a solid performance in his 26 minutes on the pitch.
On July 29, Calafiori signed for the Gunners from Serie A side Bologna for a reported €45 million plus add-ons. He penned a five-year deal at the club, indicating their faith in him being a part of their project in the long run.
His debut was highly anticipated, with many fans expecting to see him in the starting lineup against Lyon. However, Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko formed the starting backline for the Gunners.
Saliba opened the scoring for Arsenal in the ninth minute, heading in Declan Rice's delivery from a corner. His centre-back partner Gabriel nodded in another corner from Rice in the 27th minute, and Mikel Arteta's side held on for a 2-0 win.
While the Gunners continued to dominate from set-pieces, one of the highlights of the evening was Calafiori's debut for the club. The youngster delivered a great cameo off the bench, garnering praise from fans and his peers alike.
Speaking to Arsenal's website after the game, Saliba was full of praise for the young Italian, saying (via TBRFootball):
"Yeah, I’m so happy for him. I think it’s only the beginning, he’s a really good player, young as well. We’re so happy to have him with us and I hope he’ll have a really good season with us."
"He's a player that can improve us" - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaps praise on new signing Riccardo Calafiori
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed that new signing Riccardo Calafiori's versatility and physicality would be a significant asset for his side's backline moving forward.
Speaking to reporters after the Gunners' 2-0 win over Lyon in the Emirates Cup, a pre-season friendly tournament, the Spaniard said (via Mirror):
"He brings a lot of versatility because he can play in two or three different positions and especially in attack, occupy different spaces because he’s a real defender. When you see his press and physicality, how he goes into duels, it’s unbelievable. And then obviously he’s done a lot last year, he’s a player than can improve us."
Arteta also commended the Arsenal fans for giving Calafiori a warm welcome to the club, adding:
"I just love it when the fans react like that to one of your own. The way you feel it straight away, it’s love, you are respected, they are right behind you. And that’s an unbelievable platform for someone to join our club. That’s the platform for many players to join our club."
Up next, Arsenal will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening game of their 2024-25 Premier League campaign on August 17.