- Riccardo Calafiori expressed his eagerness after signing with Arsenal.
- The Italian defender finalized a £42m transfer to the Gunners on Monday.
- Calafiori called Mikel Arteta’s squad ‘the best project’ following his transfer.
Riccardo Calafiori confidently stated he joined Arsenal to pursue trophies after watching their match against Crystal Palace in January.
The 22-year-old Bologna defender signed a five-year deal with Arsenal, amounting to approximately £42million, and met the team in Philadelphia on Monday.
He remarked: ‘I communicated for nearly two months with the coach (Mikel Arteta) and Edu. They encouraged me, but I was already quite convinced to come here.
‘For me, it’s the best project available to enhance my abilities as a player. That’s all.
‘I aim to grow and to win trophies. This is the best setup for me because the squad is young, strong, and truly impressive.’
Defender Riccardo Calafiori boldly proclaimed he has joined Arsenal to win trophies
He completed his £42m transfer on Monday and joined up with the squad in the United States
Regarding how he plans to contribute to Arsenal’s Premier League success, he added: ‘Perhaps my mindset. I thrive on winning, starting from training. I want to instill this in the team.
‘Additionally, I am confident with the ball and enjoy playing. So this is the ideal choice.’ Arteta expressed great satisfaction with securing a player he deliberately pursued.
Arteta commented: ‘When I spoke to him once or twice, I had doubts about whether we could pull it off or not.
Calafiori impressed at Euro 2024 with Italy and is raring to get started in the Premier League
Calafiori has already met his Arsenal team-mates including Italian compatriot Jorginho (right)
‘He was insistent, “Let me know when you’re ready, my bags are packed and I just want to join Arsenal.” Those were his words.
‘When you have someone with such readiness and passion to join and help enhance us, it carries significant weight. As a club, we should take great pride in this.’
