Arsenal sign defender Riccardo Calafiori for £42m: Decoding his stats
Arsenal announced the signing of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna on July 29. Calafiori signed a five year deal with Arsenal. As per Sky Sports, he has been signed for a fee of £42m. Notably, Calafiori had joined Bologna from Swiss club FC Basel last summer for £3.4m. Basel will make 50 percent of Bologna's profit on any deal. We decode Calafiori's stats.
Why does this story matter?
Calafiori can play as a central defender and left-back. With William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes dominating the scenes as a central defensive pair, Calafiori would be featuring as a left-back. Arsenal's defense has Ben White as the key figure at right-back. Calafiori's signing means Oleksandr Zinchenko will be an option on the bench. The versatile Jurrien Timber provides more cover.
Calafiori's career before joining Bologna
Calafiori started his career with AS Roma and made 18 first-team appearances across three seasons for the Italian club. He was loaned to Genoa in the January transfer window in 2021-22 and made just three appearances. Calafiori was bought by Basel thereafter and he made 34 appearances in 2022-23. He played four times in 2023-24 before being sold to Italian club Bologna.
Calafiori made 33 appearances for Bologna last season
Calafiori made 33 appearances for Bologna last season in all competitons, scoring two goals. 30 of his appearances came in Serie A. He also made five assists.
Calafiori's Serie A 2023-24 stats
As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Calafiori clocked 13 shots (excluding blocks) with six of them on target. He created 14 chances and completed 1,602 passes out of 1,782 attempted. He provided two through balls. Calafiori completed four lay-offs and 13 take-ons. He also made 47 tackles, 74 clearances and 50 interceptions. He won 60 aerial duels and 87 ground duels.
Calafiori's stats at Euro 2024 for Italy
Calafiori was one of the players who impressed for below-par Italy at the 2024 European Championship. In three matches he created four chances and made one assist. He completed 214 out of his 231 passes. He completed one lay-off and two take-ons. He won seven aerial duels and 7 ground duels. Calafiori made 8 clearances, six interceptions and had one blocked shot.
