How Arsenal beat Real Madrid, Juventus in Riccardo Calafiori race?

Add as a preferred source on Google

Arsenal are set to wrap up the deal for Italian centre-back Riccardo Calafiori as the defender will join the club next week.

Riccardo Calafiori had an outstanding Euro 2024 campaign with Italy and caught the eye of top suitors across Europe. Although the Italy centre-back was tipped to join Italian giants Juventus, Arsenal emerged as the frontrunner and is certain to complete the deal.

A Sky Sports report revealed on Sunday that there were several other clubs in the queue for Calafiori. An unnamed Premier League club, which is likely to be Manchester United, wanted to bring in Calafiori, while Italian giants Juventus and Spanish club Real Madrid were also desperate to sign him.

But the Bologna player has decided to join Arsenal, which is a massive boost for the North London club. It is a major coup for the Gunners as they managed to beat the European Champions Real Madrid into signing a top prospect. This not only reflects their stature in Europe but depicts the gradual yet sustained change at the club in the Arteta-Edu era. But how did Arsenal manage such a massive coup?

The Best Platform for Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal is going to be the perfect destination for Calafiori for many reasons. Calafiori would get an opportunity at the club, which is not guaranteed in Real Madrid. Currently, the North London club provides more zeal than Juventus or Man United, which was another enticing factor for choosing Arsenal. With Champions League football at the Emirates these days, it was even more appealing for him. Also, it will be a step up for Calafiori as he switches to the Premier League from Serie A.

The youngster is mainly a left-sided centre-back who can play left-back as well. Arsenal do have multifaceted players across the field the Italian would perfectly fit in his role.

Calafiori admires the club

As per Sky Sports, Calafiori gave Arsenal the word that he would join the club. Several sources also claim that the young defender is an Arsenal fan by heart and grew up watching the club, which made it easy for the Gunners to lure him in. Also, the credit has to be given to Edu and his team who played their part in the deal. The 22-year-old said playing for Arsenal was his dream, which was turned to reality by the Premier League giants.

The Arsenal Project

The Gunners do have a sustained team with a plethora of youngsters along with a young manager, which perhaps is the biggest reason Calafiori has chosen Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has been brewing a superb team and the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli make them a unit every player wants to be part of. It will also be a huge opportunity for the Italy international to compete at the highest level as Arsenal aim to get over the line in the Premier League race this season.