According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have finally agreed a fee with Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori.
The Gunners will pay €40 million plus €5 million in add-ons and have permitted a sell-on clause to be included.
Personal terms with the player were agreed several weeks ago, however, negotiations between the two clubs slowed while Bologna reportedly looked to negotiate down a 50% sell-on clause held by Calafiori’s former club, FC Basel. Talks on the matter continue.
🚨🔴⚪️ EXCL: Arsenal and Bologna have reached an agreement for Riccardo Calafiori, after breakthrough revealed earlier!
Understand fee is €40m plus €5m add-ons and sell-on clause.
Final step needed: Basel and Bologna to agree 50% sell-on payment terms, then… here we go! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/ueCZ3XOu5f
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 20, 2024
The 22-year-old left-sided defender still needs to take a medical – not an insignificant step given his previous injuries – before penning his five-year deal.
Mikel Arteta and the first team squad members who’ve already returned for pre-season are due to fly to Los Angeles tomorrow for the first leg of the US tour. Calafiori should be available to join ahead of the Liverpool friendly in Philadelphia.
HERE WE GO!
Where?
We’ve signed an Italian – from Italy!!!
And he’s not a third choice goalkeeper.
Is there nothing that Arteta and Edu can’t do?
Say goodbye to your Gnocchi, Riccardo. Tonight we feast on jellied eels and Spud blood!
With the news that ESR will likely leave for somewhere around the same figure, we’ve swapped a player who played 475 minutes last season for a player that will likely be a first team regular.
It’s really strong work from Edteta.
Having said all this, he still needs to pass a medical with an exploded kneecap.
But if Kim can do it with broken back…
So LB is the position we need to strengthen first?
Mikel is addicted to defenders. He needs a fresh one to take the edge off before he can move onto more important matters.
We are potentially losing all of…tierney, zinchenko, Kiwior, Tavares. we arguably need one more.
We potentially would like to lose…you mean?
Good one Nate
I would’ve said not. But if Calafiori was attracting lots of other suitors and we thought we could sneak in and get most of the negotiating in while the Euros were on then you have to move.
I suppose until 1st September we can’t really judge this window.
You realise that’s not how it works right? The club doesn’t work on one transfer at a time like a monotasking assembly line worker, there are multiple targets at every position and it depends just as much on the selling club and the player which one happens first
Or goal is to let in zero goals next season… We might just do it…
IF this is the first deal we get done this summer it’s probably because it was the simplest/quickest to get done, not necessarily the highest priority. Quick wins & all that.
I suspect this is the one an agreement has been reached first rather than the first on the list.
Value, opportunity and need were all present.
I could write 10000 words on this comment, but I’ll stick to just a few. Simply put, the left hand side has been short on consistency, balance and quality, particularly in possession. That was probably the greatest personnel related issue with the squad last season but really we haven’t had a dominant, consistent presence there for years. Zinchenko has come the closest but Mikel is losing patience not just with the defensive issues but also his lapses of concentration on the ball. Calafiori offers a rare blend of aggression, height and duel dominance plus a high level of technical ability… Read more »
I could write 10000 words on this comment, but I’ll stick to just a few. Simply put, the left hand side has been short on consistency, balance and quality, particularly in possession. That was probably the greatest personnel related issue with the squad last season but really we haven’t had a consistent high quality presence there for years. Zinchenko has come the closest but Mikel is losing patience not just with the defensive issues but also his lapses of concentration on the ball. Calafiori offers a rare blend of aggression, height and duel winning plus a high level of technical… Read more »
Other than it’s fkn criminal ESR got only 475 mins…strong work?! Checkbook Charlie strikes again. Fine if we actually win something this season…
I think Arteta and Edu do deserve credit, yes. Calafiori had a lot of suitors this year, but he’s been insistent the whole summer that his priority is Arsenal (he’s called it his “dream move”). Whatever you want to say about Arteta, he’s a master at selling the vision!
Oh, and I’m sure Calafiori and agent Jorginho also spoke about the move during the Euros.
Anyone else have a sneaky suspicion that this move could mean Arteta might see Timber as the #6 of the future?
God, the “here we go” twitter crap is so bloody annoying.
Let’s do dissss! *Sends 10€ to gunnerblog*
Why is Kudus not in the arsenal transfer discussion btw? I think he’d be perfect for us. And Kimmich. Castafiore, Kudus, Kimmich and a second choice GK in, partey, smith rowe, eddie, Nelson and Kiwior out (and cheque book balanced) would be a very decent transfer window for me. A super efficient CF would be a bonus and transfer-market heaven.
Saw so much panic and meltdowns amongst gunners online over the delays surrounding this deal in the last few weeks. Now we got it done in time for the preseasons without overpaying. Think it’s time we Arsenal fans showed some faith in Edu and those managing our transfers. If those guys haven’t earned our trust at this point then nothing else will.
We only want the players we can’t get.
We hate it when we face competition.
But if there’s no competition we aren’t sure if they are good enough.
We’re basically a pre pubescent trying to navigate the dating world.
I think it’s becoming known around the world wide dating transfer circuit market that Arsenal has the biggest and most firm cock in London. With a personality to match. They’re beginning to fawn over us.
Everyone seems to have forgotten last summer when there was that 2 week period between knowing that Rice was signing and it actually being announced.
My guess is Calafiori is on holiday and they don’t feeling the need to rush. They’re not going officially announce anything without a club interview, pictures etc and they’re not going to disturb his summer break for that.
I also remember when we were sure we were getting Mudryk, then there was some hold up but it was still sure, then we had to raise our offer but it was still sure, and then we lost him. Which proves: football is a game best played on grass, not on the internet.
Sure, but the reporting was different.
The reporting around Calafiori has been for the past few weeks that a deal has basically been agreed between clubs the discussion has been around payment.
I don’t ever remember reporting of an agreement between Arsenal and Shaktar. All the talk was from Mudryk
Handsomest team.
So you haven’t seen the cornrows yet?
I hear there’s a kernel of truth to that rumour.
The jokes here really are amaizing
Admittedly, some of them are pretty corny.
I don’t have ears for rumors that pop out of nowhere.
Aw, shucks, you’re so modest, Doc!
We’re selling Kiwior to get him though, who is definitely quite handsome
CAAALAFIORII LOOOOVE
Calafiori
Knows how to party
In the Citeh….. in the Citeh….
Shake, shake it Willy
Shake, shake it Raya
Shake it Gabby
Riccardo Riccardo Riccardo Califiori.. Riccardo Riccardo Riccardo Califiori.. Riccardo Riccardo Riccardo Califiori.. eeeehhhh Califiori!…
To the tune of Macarena
Really rolls off the tongue
….and a cliff.
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
Arsenal are beating [insert team]
On a winter’s day
No one’s coming near us
Cause Riccardo’s in the way
Califiori dreamin’ (Califiori dreamin’
I leave the lyrics to Hotel Califiori to others.
Let’s also leave out Califiorication since Kiedis is a twat.
You all forgot about the obvious Katy Perry musical masterpiece
Calafiori goals are unfogettable
He’s so good inverting inside
He’ll defend and also help our build up
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Shocked and saddened that nobody has thought to mention the obvious song choice: Hotel Calafiori. Such a lovely place anytime of year.
I did mention it, but I left it to you to come up with lyrics. It must have flown right by you, like an eagle,
So , he replaces Tavarez?
Nico jover would be happy to have a tall body in for the set pieces
This was, perhaps, the major thing I loved about having Kiwior play that role last season. An extra tall body for attacking and defending set pieces.
We will be formidable at those again this year!
Sorry bit late to the party. “Left sided defender” does this mean full back, centre or both.
I think more left back for us, but he played LCB mostly in Italy. Left sided Ben White. But who knows… maybe Arteta sees him as a challenger to Gabriel.
He did once see Partey as a challenger for Gabriel…that was a very weird time. Thankfully, Partey did what he does best and got injured and ended that…
Both.
Yes
Inverting full center left back
Primarily LB, but legit cover for LCB. Arsenal builds in. 3-2-5, so he would play as a left sided CB in a back 3, and that suits him perfectly. Think about all the times Kiwior or Tomiyasu had acres of space on the ball because they got no respect for the other team. No longer.
They got no respect FROM the other team
“All the times kiwior and Tomi had acres of space on the ball because they got no respect from the other team…” Eh? what does that even mean?
If you watch games where we have the ball and the opposition retreated into a low block, look where the space is. It’s on the left. Ask watch the opponent’s behavior when certain players receive the ball. Do they drop off? Do they shade to one side? Do they close down? Do they send an extra man? It’s drastically different depending on who is about to receive
He’s our new striker. Just sits a bit deeper than most.
Timber, Tomiyasu, Cali, Kiwior all on the bench. Proper depth now If zinchenko is still a starter. I have a bad feeling Gabriel is going to leave.
Why do you think that?
Hopefully he takes left back. It gives us extra height and strength at the back, if Ben White is inverts and it is a back three at times. Also great positivity in passing.
It’s hard to shake the feeling Arteta wants to replace Gabriel with a more ‘ball playing’ centre back. I hope not. Calafiori is a better ball carrier, but I’m not sure that he’s a better passer or any more secure playing out of a press. Apparently he can overelaborate a little whereas Gabriel usually keeps things simple and efficient I’d like to see him start the season at LB. Give Timber time to build back fitness and confidence and then they can compete. If we don’t get a good offer for Zinchenko I’d rather he plays in midfield. Tomiyasu to… Read more »
Rubbish mate
We need good cover. He’s more likely a left back / lcb cover. Our left side was unbalanced
I swear people here just read the first few words and then make up the rest of the post in their head
I think Gabriel’s passing is actually underrated. He looks kinda ungainly while doing things further up the pitch, which I suspect is why, but he’s often our de facto left midfielder when we’re in possession and can play some pretty nice dinked passes into the forwards too.
He’s improved a lot on that regard but still not a plus as a progressive passer. Not enough of a minus either to blow up the partnership with Saliba.
A young Italian willing to move to England. If that doesn’t say something about his mental fortitude, nothing will. Now I’m off to dream of Nico Williams
We should sign another Italian to help him settle in. Barella would do nicely
Indeed, Jorginho is not a proper one, so he will most certainly use the wrong seasoning on the pasta!
😂😂😂
…or pineapple on pizza.
Nowt wrong with pineapple on pizza – add tuna, onion, sweetcorn and mushroom or jalapeno 😋
He has been seen breaking the spaghetti in half before cooking, citizenship revoked.
barella is a twat! 😑
I suspect it is going to be a profile like Yilmaz that we go after. Tireless runner, skilled, really showed well at the Euros, young but not inexperienced, can play across the front line (main position is RW). The price tag is 20-25 million euros, so a solid upgrade on Reiss without being overly expensive.
Williams is a heck of a talent but wants to stay in Spain so I don’t see that one happening.
I think we are trying to find a ready now transition monster and high offensive output guy. The shortlist is something like: Williams, Sane, Raphinha, Neto… and then probably youth/developmental profiles with high upside if we can’t get one of those. I love Doue but he’s a teen and going to go for the same price as those established guys.
Fantastic signing and hopefully a solution to Martinelli’s problems stuck out wide on the left without support. This is more than just a left sided defender and an exciting addition.
What Maretinelli’s problems??
Lack of support. Outnumbered and either pushed wide or forced to come inside under pressure with no-one overlapping or providing an outlet – not all of the time but more so than on the other wing
Agreed but his injury record is a real concern. I really hope it works because he looks like a cracking player
Not every player with an injury in the past has problems. Both Overmars and Kanu recovered from real problems to play a major part in successful Arsenal sides.
One of our problems last season was not having a regular left back. Zinchenko/Kiwior did ok, but we need this position to be rock solid. My only concern with this player is his injury history. Hopefully he will be fit and ready when he joins us. Also with this signing, what will be the main position for Timber? Rb,Lb, Cb,Dm,Cm? All the above? Timber is a solid player.
dm
I know he’s got a very long, barely possible path to be mentioned alongside Nesta, Maldini, Baresi, Cannavaro, Chiellini etc, but the closest to that top bracket of Italian defender to have played in the PL so far is Materazzi, right? And I seem to remember he struggled at Everton
It would have been so cool to have had one of those in their prime
Does he play left back only or can he also perform Gabi”s role at CB?
Fantastic, he’s about to reinvent the position. I can see him now replicating Henry’s coast to coast goal against sp*rs.
Great deal. 40+5 is a steal. If he was a prem league player he’d be twice that.
Not just the price but the edges too!!
Hello Bologna, about that sell on clause. This is Arsenal, we will loan him out with an option to buy for 7M euros not pounds if he fails. If he succeeds we won’t sell 😉
As I understood it, the stalling is not about the sell on clause that we would give them. Seems they got him from Basel for the cheap (I assume) and agreed a 50 % sell-on clause with the Swiss. Now Basel are already in the starting blocks, waiting for their 50 % = 20 million from the sale to us and the Italians just don’t wanna do that anymore and keep more for themselves. So I assume they just went to Basel and said that the 50 percent clause needs to be lowered, or they might otherwise not sell him… Read more »
I wonder if this signing means we might see Timber at the base of the midfield as a 6 at times, at least as a trial?
Definitely not
What does this mean for Jurrien Timber? It’s an interesting one because we have only seen him play at LB for Arsenal, but he came to us as a right sided defender who ended up on the left because he was better than the other options there (again, indictment of the quality in that position). Now there is a specialist left sided defender with bonafide possession credentials, but Timber still has a strong claim to start the season there given familiarity with the system, full preseason and strong showings after his return from injury. I expect Calafiori to claim that… Read more »
Timber played 2 games pre-season before getting injured and then 1 (?) game at the end. I’m not sure that’s enough of a sample to suddenly say he was better than anyone else we have playing left back.
IMO, he’ll play RB/RCB to cover white and/or Gabriel who was rumored to be off to Saudi last season and may well still be tempted to leave…sticking right footed players at lb should be a non-starter…
He won the spot in preseason last year. Started the community shield and home opener there.
^meant Saliba not Gabriel…
When you think about left back, Tierney is going, , Zinchenko might, and then we have Timber and Tomiyasu who probably need their minutes managed because of their injuries last season, so another left back is probably smart