Rio Ferdinand Breaks Down What Riccardo Calafiori Will Bring to the Table Ahead of Arsenal Debut
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has given his take on the Gunners’ newest signing, Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, and what he can bring to the table as he gears up for his first competitive appearance against Wolves.
The former Manchester United legend shared his thoughts on how Calafiori could strengthen Arsenal’s defence, addressing what Rio Ferdinand sees as a critical area in Mikel Arteta’s squad. The Gunners secured the defender from Serie A side Bologna for an estimated £40 million following his impressive performances for Italy during Euro 2024.
Arsenal, having had the best defensive record in the Premier League last season by shipping only 29 goals, will certainly like to get further in terms of reinforcement toward the backline, courtesy of Calafiori’s versatility. The youngster has made a number of appearances, sometimes as a central defender or left-back, which would give Arteta more tactical flexibility.
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Rio Ferdinand specifically picked out Calafiori’s ability at left-sided defensive players, which is where Arsenal has shown some vulnerability in the past. In a video on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand waxed lyrical about Calafiori’s versatility, saying that he was excited about what the young defender could bring into the Arsenal lineup.
“The two centre-backs remain unchanged, but I was really impressed with Calafiori’s performances at left-back during Euro 2024 for Italy,” said Ferdinand.
“With William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes forging an emergent — pretty intense — partnership in the heart of Arsenal’s defense, Rio Ferdinand proposes that Calafiori should fit in best on the left flank,” he says.
What was evident was the effectiveness of the right-hand side of Arsenal last season, with Ben White, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka. According to Rio Ferdinand, what Calafiori brings to the table is ball-playing ability, something that is imbalanced on that left side.
According to Rio Ferdinand, He said: “He played under Thiago Motta, who’s a new-age thinking coach. He knows how to play football and how the rotations and systems work. I see him occupying that left-back area and coming into midfield – he’s great at driving with the ball.”
“The left side has been a weakness or the weaker part of the team and he could change that. That’ll be a huge benefit for Arsenal.”
What will be intriguing is how Riccardo Calafiori slots in under this Arsenal setup and if he could actually go a long way to securing more defensive stability for the Gunners—so far out of reach—with the new Premier League season looming.
