Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have done a remarkable job with transfers in recent windows, and bringing in the Italian is proving to be a masterstroke.
Arsenal signed Calafiori from Bologna in July, and the 22-year-old has impressed everybody in and around the Emirates Stadium.
There is one moment that Arsenal fans will remember about Calafiori for a long time, but the Italian has now revealed that he’s embarrassed by what happened right after.
Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori ’embarrassed’ by what he did after his screamer vs Man City
Calafiori was eased into life in English football by Arteta.
The Italian was left on the bench in the first game of the season and was only used as a substitute in the next two league fixtures.
Then, Calafiori suffered an injury that forced him to miss the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur in September.
Right after that, Arteta handed Calafiori his full Premier League debut against Manchester City at the Etihad. That was a big challenge.
However, Calafiori stepped up and scored a stunner against City to level the game in the first half. It was a sensational goal, one that he probably will never forget.
After the ball went in, Calafiori ran towards the bench and jumped on Arteta to celebrate. He was also seen pointing at someone on the bench.
The defender has now revealed that he has no idea why he went towards Arteta. He doesn’t even know who he was pointing to. Watching it back left him ’embarrassed’.
Speaking to BBC Sport about his celebration, Calafiori said: “Yeah, I don’t know, it was not myself who ran to Mikel, it was another person.
“I was doing this (pointing at someone on the bench), but I don’t know to who. I swear, I don’t know. I was like blind.
“Yeah, I was embarrassed. (I was like) ‘what have I done?’”
Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal during the Premier League match betwee…
Calafiori has solved one key problem at Arsenal
Calafiori is in contention to be the signing of the season in the entire Premier League.
The Italian is the complete package. He’s versatile, is good on the ball, is an incredible defender, and as he showed against Manchester City, he can score stunning goals too.
Arsenal had a lot of problems at left-back in the 2023/24 season. Oleksandr Zinchenko could invert brilliantly but couldn’t defend, while it was the opposite with Jakub Kiwior. Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu missed a lot of the season due to injuries.
Now, Calafiori has come in and is a huge upgrade on Zinchenko. He can easily do what the Ukrainian does but is significantly more solid at the back.
That has solved a big problem for Arsenal, and what’s exciting is that Calafiori has promised he will be even better in six months’ time.
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