4 roles Riccardo Calafiori could play at Arsenal

Riccardo Calafiori's move to Arsenal has finally been fully agreed and will soon complete his move to the Gunners.

The defender will undergo his medical before joining up with his new teammates in the USA for the Gunners' pre-season tour.

It will become clear throughout pre-season how Calafiori will contribute to the Arsenal team but there are four different roles he could play.

1. Starting left-back

Calafiori began his career as a left-back and is still more than capable of playing in the position. With his quick pace and ball-carrying ability, he would get up the pitch well but will also contribute defensively by dropping back to make any necessary recoveries.

He is left-footed so would be an ideal option on the left flank of the defence. Jurrien Timber is a brilliant player and did well when playing in that role but being right-footed, he is not fully suited to playing in it. His defensive abilities would also make him a far more superior option to Oleksandr Zinchenko.

It is possible Calafiori could play as a straightforward attacking left-back, similar to Jakub Kiwior last season, with Ben White playing the more inverted full back role on the right side. However, the Italian could adapt well to the inverted role.

2. Left centre-back

It was at left centre-back where Calafiori caught the eye having impressed for Bologna as one of the best defenders in Serie A last season, as well as at Euro 2024 for Italy.

Gabriel Magalhaes is one of the best defenders in the world but is prone to the odd mistake. Mikel Arteta could be ruthless and make the risky decision to drop Gabriel in favour of Calafiori next season.

This would be unlikely however due to the brilliant and dominant partnership Gabriel has formed with William Saliba over the past two seasons so it would seem ridiculous to break this up. Despite this, Calafiori will be a great option at left centre-back should Arteta call on him.

3. Defensive cover

Calafiori is only 22 years old so is still young and not fully experienced at the top level. He could struggle to adapt to Premier League football if he is thrown straight in the deep end as a starter.

Arteta could decide to use the Italy international as cover for both left-back and left centre-back initially before slowly integrating him into the starting XI.

He would likely be given the chance to shine if one of the superiors in his positions suffers an injury. From there, Calafiori could establish himself as a dominant top level defender.

4. Part of a new system

Mikel Arteta could decide to change up his system with the introduction of Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian is capable of playing as part of a back three so if Arteta was to decide on switching to a back three or five, he would fit in nicely.

Calafiori would likely play on the left side of the three centre-backs, having last played there in Italy's 1-1 draw with Croatia at Euro 2024, so it would not put any of Arsenal's regular defenders at risk of being displaced.

It is unlikely Arteta would change his system that drastically due to it having worked so well over the past two seasons. However, if he does make that brave decision, Calafiori will no doubt be more than capable of being a crucial part of it.

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