Will Arsenal sign Riccardo Calafioro (or anyone) before pre-season commences?
Arsenal have encountered a roadblock on their way to signing their current Italian target, defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Despite Arsenal and Bologna shaking hands on a fee of 40 million euros for as nicknamed “The Bulldozer” a negotiating explosion has erupted between the Italian team and his ex-club Basel due to a sell-on clause which has halted the process. (The difficulty has been reported by The Times).
On top of this Jakub Kiwior’s hesitation in signing for Bologna to help even out the deal has only made matters worse for The Gunners at the worst of times with pre-season beginning next Thursday versus AFC Bournemouth.
To add insult to the wounds Mikel Arteta’s side will then be travelling only days later to America where they will be facing Manchester United on Sunday July 28th and then Liverpool on the first day of August.
Arsenal would prefer to sort out the ongoing transfer issues as soon as possible ideally before the start of next week so that Calafioro can be a part of their pre-season squad plans, allowing for Arteta to work out how the defender can fit into his side without the normal pressures which he will encounter come the start of the Premier League season in mid August.
The defender was ranked sixth in Seria A for the highest number of interceptions last campaign however the figures also point out that he only performed 32 tackles.
He is certainly a “Lion hearted” player who after only signing his first professional contract with Roma when 16 endured 347 days of not being able to play football due to a poor studded challenge performed on him in a UEFA Youth League toss up against Czech side Viktoria Plzen.
Since then he has moved all around Seria A and Europe kicking ball for Genoa (on loan), Basel and Bologna where he’s only been at for a year so far!
Should he sign for Arsenal he will become a part of the “more unpredictable” side Arteta is looking to construct and I am sure whoever he signs will become another part of the complicated jigsaw of tactics he will be using next season.
I just hope a couple arrive before the season starts…
Liam Harding
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Let the players who played at the Euro’s and Copa have a rest. Its not even been two weeks since the tournament ended. The elite players have played 60 70 games plus in all comps and deserve a rest. Some people would rather have Edu’s head on a spike than give the lads some well deserved rest !!!
How many days of repose give Arsenal to the players after an annual campaingn?
Pre season matches are largely irrelevant ,particularly without new signings to bed in and ,apart from the commercial benefits arising from flying the flag in the USA,they are really a means of stepping up the match fitness of players.In the case of Rice and Saka, they need to rest physically and mentally before they face another demanding season.
Read that Calafiori’s price tag before the Euro’s was around 30 million euros, but after the tournament Bologna wants 50 million.
Surely Arsenal scouts and recruitment wanted Calafiori long before Euros if they’ve actually done their job..? I really don’t see how playing well for a few matches for your national team would make a big club decide if a player is impressive or not.
Calafiori needs an authentic pre-season. WTF is going on. I remember a couple of windows ago we also needed a striker and never got one and the rest is bad history. The league starts soon as well and we have a tough start. Something doesn’t feel right. Arteta said he wanted to do early business.
Suddenly a joyous feeling….Calafiori coming pre-season. Whooooooo….Happy, happy feeling.😁😂🤣😍
the plane leaves tomorrow, so no new signings for the US leg of pre-season at least
nor the Euro/Copa players, i.e. core of our team!
there are still two pre-season friendlies at the Emirates, but certainly feels underdone coming in to the new season – I suppose our rivals are in the same boat though
it could end up being a quiet window for Arsenal, not least because we perhaps do not have as much money to spend as fans think we do – Raya loan-to-buy last year was clue
another clue is not moving for either Osihmen or Gyrokeres as neither move embargoed by Euro/Copa participation, we’ve had a free run for a month and not even looked like moving for either
it looks increasingly no big name striker arrives this window, whether that be waiting for Sesko or lack of funds, or both
Not happy with handling of Walters, Chido Martin and duberry cases.
So it looks like we might be without Rice, Saka, Ramsdale and Raya for the start of the pre-season tour of America, as they will be having their break from football.
Btw Liam Harding, the game against Bournemouth is in America, as the squad fly out this Sunday.
This is frustrating because we had an offer for ESR. Considering his record etc anywhere around £25m snatch there hands off. Pur profit gives us wriggle room. There’s talk of them coming back with an improved offer also. Nelson garnering interest also Nkeiteah. I think buy the players required at cost club agrees with then concentrate on sales.
Not looking like Arsenal are doing much this summer in the transfer market. I think Arteta and Edu aren’t bent on signing Calafiori we saw how early they did their seals last season.
Who knows who Arsenal will buy (or sell come to that)? They more often than not leave things until the last minute (with some exceptions). That’s potentially dangerous as the slightest hitch can derail a potential move. The closer to the deadline you get the less chance there is of completing it then or getting a replacement in under Plan B (if there is a Plan B). Still, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Yes. If we sign anyone before that lol
I’ll go out on a limb here and say that I reckon we have our eyes on a DM but are holding back because Manu and Liv are also in the market for a DM So the sooner utd get Ugarte from PSG then we see who Liv targets after that we can then go unchallenged for our top guy If we had gone straight in earlier we would have tipped clubs off and fought a hijack or two
Hoy 20/7/24 se anuncia el acuerdo.Calafiori es del Arsenal.
Have to say I’m really happy that Calafiori will make the pre-season tour. He needs to bed in. Good news. 😅😂🤣😍