When Riccardo Calafiori signed for Arsenal this summer, he revealed in an Instagram post that he’d already been to visit the Emirates Stadium earlier in the year.
Interviewer Roman Kemp pointed out that the Gunners won 5-0 that day, and suggested that must have made a good impression on the player.
But Calafiori’s trip to the Emirates was perhaps also inspired by the fact Mikel Arteta had already been in contact over a potential transfer.
“They started so early,” Calafiori revealed. “Like one year. Mikel (Arteta) started to call me a bit, he just wanted to explain to me what they think about me, he tried to convince me. But I was already convinced.”
After his trip to London and his experience watching the win over Palace, there was evidently no turning back for Calafiori.
It took a while for Arsenal and Bologna to come to an agreement, with further delays due to the player’s participation at the Euros with Italy. But eventually, the deal was done and the 22-year-old moved to his new home.
