Why is Calafiori Arsenal's main transfer target?

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Riccardo Calafiori has caught the eye of Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar as they look to bolster their defence. But why do Arsenal want the Italian defender? What's so special about him and how would he fit into the North London side?

Joe Devine, JJ Bull and Jon Mackenzie are joined by David Ornstein to find out why Calafiori is Arsenal's main transfer target.

Read The Athletic's Transfer DealSheet:

#arsenal #premierleague #euro2024

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Chapters:
00:00 Why is Calafiori Arsenal's main transfer target?
00:36 David Ornstein's One to Watch
01:59 Who is Riccardo Calafiori?
05:58 Why are ball-carrying centre-backs so special?
10:04 What are Calafiori's downsides?
12:38 Another left-sided defender for Arsenal?
15:42 Players that need to leave?
17:00 Arsenal's Transfer Strategy

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Additional footage sourced from AP Newsroom

[TheAthleticFC]

Should it go through, what would you give this signing out of 10 and why? 🤔👇

[sundersquare]

Surely a ball carrying centre back would get penalised for handball. Seems like Arteta isn't thinking this one through.

[Ryan-eite]

Joe Devine has never uttered a sentence which sounded sincere

[DonHbankz]

Really love this type of video not just an analysis on the player but on how he fits, the ramifications of his arrival and the other problems and things linked to it and the club. Hope we get more like this

[TeddiahWatkins]

The search for a left footed player who's good at carrying the ball to back up Saka is getting crazy.

[remy]

If you watch our games last season there were so many games where the opposition team was clearly targeting our LB weakness, like Bayen, Villa, Spurs, Liverpool, and more. I guess that's one of Arteta's priority.

[jourdanjackson]

Riccardo Calafiori is Arteta's answer to what Bayern and Porto tactically did to them in UCL last season. Where they both basically just allowed Arsenal space down the left wing or left half space because they knew Arsenal didn't have the quality to build up from deep an effective attack on that side as they can on the right. Calafiori also helps solve the problem of breaking down a low block by being more direct.

[abyjohan]

when I first heard about Arsenal's interest for Calafiori, I was a bit skeptical because I haven't heard of him aside from the Euro, so I thought it was just a mere hype. But thanks to you guys analysis that if he really can carry the ball forward to break down the lines, that would be superb, I can only imagine what that might bring especially on the half-spaces & final third. Exciting!

[grimnaza]

This would be the Ben white version for martinelli

[ayorosanwo]

In relation to Jon's point about 'cycles of challenging' I think the difference is its a young squad challenging as opposed to liverpool who had players in their prime challenging. With young players challenging at age 22 you get a good amount of years out or them challenging at the very top. Great video.

[jimbxbjones]

these guys would be great on a podcast together where they can crack jokes and discuss the weekends football!

[praktika]

Surprised JJ said he's 38.5 years old. You lot strikes me as 24 year olds, fresh out of uni, recently moved back in with mum and dad, reach for the bong first thing in the morning.

[kennethchan]

"i think they call that everywhere" lmao 10/10

[danogunner]

Calafiori looks like Arteta’s idea of a left back who can invert and receive the ball with back to goal.
If arteta can improve the squad by 1% he will.

[ATN]

I don't like what they are suggesting at the end. It's not a matter of there are tactical problems but are constantly trying to improve even by the smallest margins. Even Real who seem perfect added Mbappe when it doesn't necessarily look necessary

[Jmastives]

The chair of this is bloody hilarious 😂😂

[samuelstephen]

I am enthusiastic about the potential acquisition of Riccardo Calafiori. His deployment as a left-back could significantly bolster our defensive solidity and enhance our attacking options.

Historically, some of our most critical defeats have resulted from vulnerabilities on the left flank. Since Granit Xhaka's departure, our offensive output on that side has also diminished considerably. Jakub Kiwior, who was intended to be an upgrade over Oleksandr Zinchenko, lacks the attacking impetus required for a modern fullback, being more suited to a traditional center-back role.

Calafiori, with his balanced defensive and offensive capabilities, presents a promising solution to the issues we have faced on the left flank.

Nevertheless, there is a potential concern. Mikel Arteta has a preference for versatile players who can perform in multiple roles. While this adaptability is commendable, it has led to some challenges. For instance, the integration of Declan Rice, capable of playing both as a number 6 and a number 8, has yet to result in a clearly defined role within the squad. Similar issues have arisen with other versatile players, leading to excessive experimentation and a lack of positional certainty.

It is crucial that Calafiori's versatility does not become another source of tactical inconsistency. The preseason should serve as the testing ground for such experiments to ensure a more stable and effective deployment during the competitive season.

[Casper-jxvv]

Just because he's the first transfer doesn't make him the main target it's just how the dealings worked out

[mbusoshinga]

Amazing content… in depth analysis. Good work gents.

[iwantgoals]

I agree with JJ bull on needing a bit of star dust in the team. Arsenal squad is full of tidy players but now they need players to really make the difference and take them over the finishing line.

I also think they need to get rid of Zinchenko who’s unreliable and injury prone at best.