Arsenal journalist Charles Watts has now been sharing his information on the club’s progress with a deal for Riccardo Calafiori.
It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours or so in Arsenal’s pursuit of Calafiori – at least it has been via reports in Italy.
It’s now been claimed that Arsenal have had a bid accepted for Calafiori by sources local to the defender.
And if that information is accurate, then the Italian could follow Takehiro Tomiyasu’s path to the club, who joined from Bologna back in 2021.
That being said, Watts had his own two cents on recent reports and explained that he wasn’t aware of any agreement between the clubs right now.
However, the journalist stopped short of calling reports ‘fake’, saying he had confirmed that Arsenal were trying to sign Calafiori.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Riccardo Calafiori is not another Dusan Vlahovic situation
Speaking on his podcast, Watts said he often compares Arsenal transfer links to their so-called pursuit of Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, but said this time around it was different.
He explained: “Right now as it stands, as far as I’m aware, there is no agreement between the clubs, so the talks are still ongoing but it’s definitely one to keep a firm eye on.
“The way things are moving, how quickly they seem to be moving, it feels like it will probably get done butyou just never know, especially when you’ve got someone like Chelsea lurking in the background who are also interested.”
He later added: “I’ve had it confirmed, Arsenal are trying to sign Riccardo Calafiori, it’s not fake.
“I always use the example of [Dusan] Vlahovic when it comes to this sort of transfer, when it emerges from Italy – always being a bit sceptical about how strong the reports are.
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“But in this case, unlike with Vlahovic, which I never had confirmed that anything was ever really going on despite all of the stories which were coming out on Italy at the time.
“This time I do believe there is genuine interest and Arsenal are trying to get this deal done.”
Is Calafiori ready for challenge like Arsenal?
On the back of his excellent performances at Euro 2024, it’s hard not to get excited about Calafiori signing for Arsenal.
However, is the 22-year-old ready to thrive under Mikel Arteta at this stage of his career?
Some may feel that as an elite club, or one trying to reach that level, Arsenal shouldn’t pay the cost for developing a defender because it can mean you concede goals and titles.
Not to be too harsh on Calafiori, but he will need time to adjust, to find his feet and develop, and that may mean the occasional mistake.
Based on the football he’s produced so far in his career, there’s no doubt that in two or three years Calafiori would be ready to improve Arsenal.
But right now, he may end up finding himself in a similar situation to Jakub Kiwior, who may end up leaving this summer if Calafiori arrives.
