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Riccardo Calafiori has insisted at the end of his debut season that he's happy at Arsenal following reports of a quick return to Serie A.
The Gunners signed the versatile defender last summer following a breakout campaign with Bologna, but Calafiori's first season in north London has been disrupted by multiple injury setbacks.
Calafiori offered glimpses of his swashbuckling best over the autumn, and he announced himself to the Premier League with a wonderful goal at Manchester City in September. However, he sustained a knee injury in October and found himself competing with the blossoming Myles Lewis-Skelly for starts at left-back once he returned.
The Italian has made 29 appearances in all competitions but notched less than 1,500 minutes of action with a game remaining. Against Newcastle on Sunday, Calafiori offered supporters another glimpse of what he can supply Mikel Arteta's team moving forward, and many are already excited about his sophomore year.
Riccardo Calafiori shuns Serie A return during review of first Arsenal season
While Calafiori was recovering from another knee injury at the start of May, MilanLive reported that AC Milan wanted to welcome the Italian international back to Serie A after just a year away. The report noted that Arsenal wanted to recoup the €35m they spent to sign the young defender from Bologna.
However, this always felt like a story with little legs, and the man himself has since ruled out a swift Serie A return this summer.
“I am very happy at Arsenal," Calafiori told Gianluca Di Marzio (via The Evening Standard) after Sunday's win.
"For me personally, this first season with Arsenal was a great experience. Obviously, when you win trophies it’s always better. Here I measured myself against the most important and difficult championship in the world. I saw that I can be there easily, this made me very happy and I am convinced of the choice I made.
The 23-year-old confirmed he had no regrets over joining Arsenal before discussing his role in Arteta's system in year one with the Gunners: “I always feel good in every position I play, I try to help the team. In my opinion, what was missing was just continuity this year. I will try to be more consistent next year. When I was good, I always played and I also made the difference. The goal is just to stay in shape all year.”