Italy's breakout star from Euro 2024 has all the tools to be an instant hit for the Premier League title-chasers
Not much was expected from Italy heading into Euro 2024 and, for the most part, they pretty much matched expectations, limping through the group stages before being well beaten by Switzerland in the round of 16. But while the Azzurri did not offer a great deal to get excited about as a collective, the emergence of one young defender did ensure they remained in the conversation during the early stages of the tournament.
Just six days after his first-ever senior international start in a friendly victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina, Riccardo Calafiori was given the nod by Luciano Spalletti for his side's European Championship opener against Albania. By full-time, he was all anyone was talking about.
With his Paolo Maldini-esque locks dancing in the wind, the 22-year-old showed no signs of nerves, helping Italy recover from an early error to secure a 2-1 victory. Operating as a left-sided centre-back alongside Alessandro Bastoni, the duo provided some much-needed hope for the post Giorgio Chiellini-Leonardo Bonucci era, with Calafiori dominating in the air and on the ground while scarcely misplacing a pass and driving his side forward from the back.
He was understandably delighted at full-time, telling reporters: "It’s been a very nice week for me. I learnt I could be a starter two days ago. Spalletti asked me if I was ready. I said yes, obviously. I thought about positive things, about the emotions I could feel on the pitch and it was a great thing. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’m very happy."
This display set the tone for a positive Euros on a personal level, with Calafiori having now completed a dream Premier League move to Arsenal. This good fortune is pretty remarkable, considering all of the road blocks the youngster had to navigate during the early part of his career.
Getty ImagesUnconventional route to the top
For instance, back in October 2018, when Calafiori was building a reputation as one of Italian football's brightest prospects, he suffered a knee injury that left his career hanging in the balance. Later that day, Edin Dzeko would pay tribute to the teenager after notching his maiden Champions League hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen, holding up a shirt with his young club-mate's name on.
Calafiori would later open up on the mental toll the injury took at a crucial stage of his development. "The journey was definitely the hardest thing I faced, I had a knee that was three times the size of the other one, I had a fever and I felt insecure," he told .
After a painful spell of rehabilitation, he managed to return to the field and was handed his first-team debut by Paulo Fonseca in December 2020. However, his Roma career would essentially be ended by the arrival of Jose Mourinho at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. During that campaign, he was handed just nine appearances, primarily in the Europa League, before being shafted out on loan to Genoa in January.
Calafiori bravely took the decision to leave his boyhood club the following summer, signing for Basel. There, he got the first-team football he craved, but it was far from a vintage season for the Swiss giants, who finished a lowly fifth in the league and fell in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesFinding a home
That did not stop Bologna moving to bring Calafiori back to Serie A last summer, though. That decision would prove to be an inspired one by all parties, too.
Right from the outset, highly-rated boss Thiago Motta outlined a clear plan for Calafiori. Having been primarily used as a left-back up to that point, Motta was keen to move him into the heart of defence, with the switch unlocking the player's full potential.
"Everything started from the freedom that the coach gave me, Motta immediately saw me as a centre-back," Calafiori has said. "I learned so much from him. This is his philosophy, that you must attack the space no matter who goes, play without fear and express yourself."
Calafiori's displays were key in Bologna's best season in modern history, with Motta leading them to a fifth-placed finish – enough for Champions League football. And if people were not paying attention to the defender yet, they certainly would be after the Euros.
Following that outstanding competitive debut against Albania, Italy legend Gianluca Zambrotta was among those to praise Calafiori. "He played an extraordinary game, like the whole team in the first 60 minutes," he said on . "He played with personality, without fear… He showed some beautiful things yesterday."
Yes, he may have scored an unfortunate own goal against Spain in the following game, but by the time Italy had exited the competition, Calafiori's reputation had exploded, with Arsenal, Chelsea and a string of top European clubs said to be interested.
Getty ImagesSurprising signing
The Gunners have won the race, though, with the North Londoners having paid £42m ($49m) including add-ons for Calafiori's services. On the surface, it might seem odd that Arsenal have opted to strengthen in defence as a priority this summer.
Last season, they comfortably boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes forming a rock-solid, centre-back partnership . Despite this, it's clear that greater strength in depth is required if the Gunners are finally to topple Manchester City this season. Any injury to one of the aforementioned pair would likely necessitate Ben White moving into the middle, something Arteta would likely want to avoid considering how effective the former Brighton man combined with Bukayo Saka down the right in 2023-24.
But Calafiori shouldn't just be seen as a secondary option. He might even be able to displace Gabriel as the left-sided centre-back if he starts strongly. Let us not forgot that Arteta dropped the Brazilian at the beginning of last season, though his form over the past nine months means his manager probably trusts him fully moving forward.
Getty ImagesNovel approach
Because of this, Calafiori being deployed in Arsenal's problem position of left-back seems to make more sense. Last season, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko all had fleeting spells in the role after Jurrien Timber ruptured his ACL on the opening day. This contrasted sharply with the metronomic consistency of White on the opposite side.
It would be little surprise to see Arteta call upon Calafiori to fix this conundrum this season, even with Timber back in the mix. Over the past few seasons, the Gunners boss has become increasingly enamoured by players with traditionally centre-back profiles playing on the flanks of his defence.
White was his guinea pig for this theory; the hulking Englishman had only made a smattering of right-back appearances before claiming the position permanently during the 2022-23 season. Tomiyasu and Kiwior have since undergone similar transformations.
Like many aspects of Arteta's approach, parallels can be seen in Pep Guardiola's City side. Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake have each transitioned into full-backs under the Spaniard's tutelage. At times, Guardiola has even been able to field four, de-facto central defenders across his backline. This was an extremely deliberate choice, as the City boss explained in the wake of their 2023 Champions League final triumph.
"With four central defenders we defend properly in our box," he said. "It’s the biggest step. Now we enjoy defending, and even if we make mistakes, I have the feeling that we are defenders."
Like everything with Arteta and Guardiola tactically, the shift towards these 'defend-first' players at full-back is all about control – or "dominance", as the Arsenal boss is keen to described it as. Not only are Arsenal and City's 'full-backs' fearsome in the air and defensively intelligent – which make it harder for the opposition to attack effectively – they also take care of the ball, helping their sides enjoy the lions share of possession.
They're all still capable of overlapping and carrying it forward when required, with White, Gvardiol and Ake providing 22 goal contributions between them last season. But Arteta and Guardiola clearly see them differently to a properly attacking full-back who always looks to get beyond the wide forward in front of them.