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Italy manager delighted by what’s happened to Riccardo Calafiori since joining Arsenal
It’s fair to say this – Arsenal completing a £33 million deal for one of this year’s breakout talents – was not a transfer which went down particularly well in the player’s homeland.
Just like when Sandro Tonali left AC Milan for Newcastle United, when Tottenham Hotspur snapped up both Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie, the transfer which took Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal sparked plenty of handwringing about the status of Italian football.
Why, the critics asked, had Serie A lost another of their rising stars?
Fabio Capello, the legendary Italian coach and one-time England boss, described Calafiori’s departure from high-flying Bologna as ‘a shame’.
That, however, is a concern Luciano Spalletti does not buy into.
Italy boss Luciano Spalletti delighted by Riccardo Calafiori’s Arsenal move
The man currently in the Azzurri hotseat believes Calafiori is actually growing as a footballer and as a man, broadening his horizons while honing his talents in the most high-pressure environment that is a fiercely-contested Premier League title race.
At a time in which much of the Italian national team is made up of players based in Serie A, Calafiori is one of the very few Spalletti charges currently plying his trade on the biggest of stages.
“It’s fundamental,” Spalletti told a press conference this week. “What concerns us is international and European football, having players who know the atmosphere we breathe and players who can explain to us what we will find in front of us in these matches.
“Playing in teams and certain matches like Riccardo does is fundamental for us.”
Calafiori has been a big hit at Arsenal.
Taking the word ‘versatile’ to a new level – a left-back on the team-sheet but popping up on the right-hand side of central midfield at times – few players suit Mikel Arteta’s free-flowing yet ferocious Gunners team better than the one-time Roma prospect.
“He is good at being in the right place,” adds Spalletti, speaking ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Nations League clash with Belgium. “His personality has helped him, he has taken on important responsibilities.
“He has maturity even if he is young. He has gained a lot of experience also in other areas of the field, and this completes him. It is always good to have a team order and balance.
“He must do his part well, and then he can add something.”
Calafiori shares similarities between Mikel Arteta and Spalletti
Calafiori was outstanding as Arsenal beat PSG in the Champions League a week ago.
He also opened his Gunners account in stunning style during the 2-2 draw with title rivals Manchester City. Calafiori’s curling finish was labelled ‘exceptional’ by Pep Guardiola himself.
Due largely to Leandro Trossard’s sending off on the stroke of half-time, Arsenal sat back and defended for their lives at the Etihad. Though, as Calafiori himself explains, this was an approach borne out of necessity with Arteta determined to play on the front foot at every available opportunity.
“Certainly the constant with the coach [Spalletti] and with Arteta is the search for dominance through the game. These are the things that unite them,” Calafiori says during his own conversation with the media.
“I agree with both of them. It is always better to face opponents in this way without suffering too much.
“The Premier League is a very different championship compared to Serie A. It’s always good to learn to play with different rhythms and qualities. I think I can give a hand to the national team.”