It’s been quite a while since Riccardo Calafiori agreed personal terms with Arsenal, so the next stumbling block was going to be finding an agreement between Arsenal and Bologna for a permanent deal. However, it was reported, a few weeks back, that Arsenal’s initial bid of £40 million has been rejected by Bologna, as it is believed that Bologna want at least, £45 million, for their prized asset.
Despite being just 22, Calafiori showed maturity beyond his years in this European Championships for Italy, playing alongside the more experienced Alessandro Bastoni in the back line, as he was above the likes of Gianluca Mancini, Alessandro Buongioma and Federico Gatti in the Italian defense.
Calafiori was an instrumental part of the Bologna team that finished in fifth place in Serie A last season, earning European football in the process, and their coach, Thiago Motta, was poached by Juventus following Massimo Allegri’s departure. In the 33 games Calafiori played for Bologna last season, he featured predominantly as a left center back, and had a handful of games as a left back. This leaves me a bit puzzled because Arsenal is relatively stocked in that position – Oleksandr Zinchenko is the No. 1 guy there, we think, then there’s Takehiro Tomiyasu who’s adept there, Jakub Kiwior that got a handful of games there, Jurrien Timber that featured in that position a lot in preseason before his unfortunate injury, then two loanees, Nuno Tavares and Kieran Tierney that returned to the club after failing to impress in their loan spells.
Mikel Arteta seems hell bent on getting his man, and we have a breakthrough, as according to transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and Bologna have finally agreed on a deal for Calafiori. Arsenal are expected to pay €40 million plus €5 million in add-ons and have permitted a sell-on clause to be included. There is the business of the 50 percent sell-on clause between Bologna and FC Basel, which the Italian outfit is obligated to pay the Swiss side, after paying just €4 million for his services last summer. Bologna stands to gain €18.5 million for the Calafiori deal while Basel would earn a whopping €22.5 million. The person on the Basel end that negotiated such a deal requires a raise.
Those intricacies aren’t the business of Arsenal, as Calafiori will be expected to fly to the United States to complete his medicals ahead of the tour, and if everything goes according to plan, he could be in contention to feature against Bournemouth in Dignity Sports Park, California, this Thursday.
Calafiori plays as a left center back, as well as left back, so it will be interesting to see the role he’s going to play in the side this season. I don’t expect Arteta to break up the formidable partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba, so I have a hunch that Calafiori will fight for a starting berth alongside the likes of Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left. Let’s not forget that Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber are also adept in that position.
Well, that’s why Arteta earns the big bucks.
It’s time to play the waiting game till we see Calafiori flanked by Edu and Arteta on the official website.
Sayonara.
