What can Arsenal expect from new signing Riccardo Calafiori?

Arsenal paid £42m for highly-touted Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori in the summer transfer window, and we've already seen the former Bologna man in action.

Beating London rivals Chelsea to a signing is always a source of satisfaction for Arsenal fans, but it feels even better when the player in question is a young talent with immense potential.

Calafiori is an exciting addition to the squad and we've already seen a snippet of what he might bring to Mikel Arteta's squad. Before the September international break, the defender made a couple of Premier League substitute appearances.

An injury scare on international duty has sparked some frustration amid the plethora of squad availability issues currently at the club, but there is optimism that it won't be a long-term issue.

Based on what we've seen so far and the player's background profile, here is what Arsenal can expect from Riccardo Calafaiori at the Emirates.

1. A complete full-back profile

Many eyebrows were raised when Arsenal forked out close to £50m for Ben White a few years ago, but the former Brighton man has grown into an exceptional full-back, seemingly complete in his style of play. He is comfortable holding his position and defending, is relentless on the overlap, and has proven his ability to tuck in as an inverted full-back as well.

Calafiori could be Arteta's attempt at recreating such a dynamic on the left-hand side, and it wouldn't be a reach to consider the Italian capable of such a feat. Comparatively to the other full-back options, he is considerably better on the defensive side than Oleksandr Zinchenko and is also a natural, outside-footed defender as opposed to Jurrien Timber, who is, of course, right-footed.

It will take time for Calafiori to transition into the complete full-back he may be destined to be, just as it did for Ben White, but it is something fans could expect either this term or in future seasons.

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