Arsenal’s pursuit of a new defender has led to Euro 2024 star Riccardo Calafiori who is highly rated by his former manager at AS Roma Jose Mourinho.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss took charge of Roma after his spell in north London ended abruptly, and enjoyed success in the Italian capital winning the Conference League in 2022.
Calafiori was on Roma’s books when the Special One arrived in Italy but fell out of favour and was eventually sold to Swiss side Basel in 2022.
Despite this, the club and Mourinho hold the defender – who they reportedly regretted selling – in high regard amid his links with Arsenal, as well as Premier League rivals Liverpool.
The man who is the subject of £40million interest admits he still has a positive relationship with the Portuguese manager, who was pictured on Instagram scouting the defender when he first joined Roma.
Speaking to Sportweek, Calafiori stated: “Mourinho? With him, I also started quite well. Then there was the match against Bodo, in which we lost 6-1. From there, things went downhill. He sent me to the bench and decided to rely on others, but my need and desire were to play.
Roma hold a 40% clause within the Italian defender’s contract, meaning they’ll cash in if he makes a big-money move to the Premier League.
In a recent press conference, Calafiori claimed Mourinho was a pivotal part of his progression to the top, stating: “Mourinho forged my character and personality, while with Thiago Motta, I tried things that tactically I had never seen.”
“At Bologna, we train defensive solidity, and it shows in the game: it is the sign of a united team. Motta has in common with Mourinho the fact that he asks you for 200% in every training session and that he makes his choices by looking at what you give on the pitch.”
