Riccardo Calafiori is on the verge of joining Arsenal from Bologna (Picture: Getty)
William Gallas has endorsed Mikel Arteta’s decision to sign Riccardo Calafiori and strengthen Arsenal’s already formidable defence.
The Italy international, who can play at either centre-half or left-back, is set to join the Gunners imminently after a breakthrough in negotiations was made earlier ths week.
Calafiori is set to fly to London on Friday to undergo a medical and, assuming he passes, will then jet off to America where Arsenal are located for their pre-season tour.
The 22-year-old’s arrival could spell trouble, however, for two Arsenal players who are likely to slip even further down Arteta’s pecking order in the shape of Jakbub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Kiwior has struggled to win Arteta’s trust since his move from Spezia 18 months ago and is keen on a return to Serie A having reportedly set his heart on a transfer to Inter.
Zinchenko, meanwhile, made a hugely positive early impact upon his move to Arsenal from Manchester City two years ago, but his form deteriorated alarmingly last season, while he has also suffered from a series of niggling injuries that have affected his availability.
Despite there problems at left-back, Arsenal boasted the meanest defence in the Premier League last term, but Gallas believes the addition of Calafiori will make them an even meaner machine.
Riccardo Calafiori was arguably Italy’s best player at Euro 2024 (Photo: Getty)
‘I did speak to one of my friends who knows a lot about Italian football and asked him what he thought of him,’ Gallas told Gambling Zone.
‘My friend played in Italy for several years and watches Serie A every week – he played for Inter Milan and Lazio, he was a great player, but I’m not going to say who – and he told me that Ricardo Calafiori is really, really good.
‘He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre back or as a left back. I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left back at the moment. There are doubts about that position.’
Zinchenko’s days, meanwhile, are numbered, according to Gallas, who believes the current Arsenal team have outgrown the need for the qualities the Ukraine international brought to the team during his first few months in north London.
Arsenal will start as a 4-3-3 but switch to a 3-3-4 in attack (Photo: buildlineup.com)
He added: ‘I think Zinchenko had similar problems when he was at Manchester City. If you can remember, I don’t think that he played in that many of their big games because Pep Guardiola thought that his defensive ability was limited.
‘With the ball and in possession, he’s a talented player. He is good on the counter attack, but when you ask him to defend and when you put him under pressure, he makes mistakes. He has made a lot of mistakes at Arsenal which is why they are looking to improve their defence.
‘I think Arsenal’s football has moved on from what Zinchenko offers them. Football is a game that constantly evolves, and it is changing again at the moment in terms of how the best teams try and defend.
‘Over the last few years, we’ve seen teams ask their left backs and right backs to go into midfield and build play from the back. We’ve seen back fours become back threes with the ball – a defenders role has changed a lot, but now the focus seems to be on doing what they are there to do: defending very well and being strong. There is a trend moving towards a much more solid back four.
‘There are a lot of reasons for that, but fundamentally, it’s about being stronger than your opponent and limiting the number of chances on your goal. Football is changing. We’re in a period that was made for real defenders.’
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.