Mikel Arteta has revealed new signing Riccardo Calafiori told him he only ever wanted to sign for Arsenal despite also being linked with a move to Chelsea.
Arsenal confirmed they had signed Calafiori on Monday afternoon, with the Italy defending putting pen to paper on a five-year deal in north London.
Calafiori impressed for Bologna last season, helping the Serie A side qualify for the Champions League, and then attracted praise at Euro 2024 despite Italy’s underwhelming exit.
Arsenal spent over £40m to bring the 22-year-old to the Emirates Stadium and Arteta’s new signing immediately joined up with his new team-mates on the pre-season tour of America.
While Arsenal were always believed to be leading the race to sign Calafiori, they saw their summer target linked with a move to Chelsea earlier in the summer.
But Arteta says Calafiori only ever wanted to join Arsenal and revealed he spoke to the Italy star a couple of times to make sure the deal was still on track.
‘I spoke to him one or two times and I knew the other things [teams being interested],’ Arteta said.
‘I wasn’t really sure if we could do it or not, but he was adamant: “let me know when you’re ready, my bags are ready and I just want to come to Arsenal”.
‘Those were his words and when you have that feeling, someone with that willingness to join us and make us better and that determination, it’s something really powerful and as a club, we should be really proud of that.
‘I’m very happy. It took a while – it was a player that we have monitored for a year. We were really short in the backline last year in terms of numbers and we demanded so much from them.
‘William Saliba, for example, played in every minute of the Premier League and we believe we had to be more protected.
‘We identified him as a talent that can give us skill and qualities that are going to make us better. We are signing a player with a huge capacity to develop.’
Calafiori will strengthen an Arsenal defence that conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League last season.
Despite the excellent defensive record, Arsenal still fell short of an elusive Premier League title as Manchester City won a record fourth consecutive crown.
Reacting to his move to Arsenal, Calafiori said: ‘I’m really happy to be here. I waited a lot for this.
‘I hope we are going to do something great this season.’
Arsenal prepare to face Liverpool in pre-season
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bournemouth in their first pre-season friendly before beating Manchester United 2-1 thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
The Gunners continue their preparations for the 2024-25 campaign in the early hours of Thursday morning with a friendly against Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp’s replacement Arne Slot.
‘It’s another great test,’ Arteta said. ‘We’re in a different city, there’s jetlag and we have to adapt to that.
‘It’s a different pitch, different stadium and weather conditions. It’s all great, and we’re against a team with a new manager that I really like, especially the way he plays. It is going to be really tough and will be a good test as well.’
Asked what he likes about Slot, Arteta added: ‘I don’t know him personally but I watched him with his past team.
‘First of all, I like him a lot as a person and the way he comes across. I’ve heard very good things from players who are probably the best ones to ask.
‘I’m really impressed with the way he sets out his teams and the clarity and the quality that they show, so it’s going to be a really good game.’
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