Mikel Arteta set to give versatile Arsenal star new favoured role against Southampton
Arsenal’s preferred centre-back options, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, have both been ruled out of the team’s final Premier League game against Southampton, and to fill the void, manager Mikel Arteta is poised to hand Riccardo Calafiori his first Premier League start in his favoured centre-back role.
Calafiori, who has primarily played as a full-back this season, will likely partner Jakub Kiwior in the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
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The 23-year-old Italian international has had a challenging debut season at the Emirates, plagued by injuries and limited playing time since signing from Bologna for £40 million. Despite this, Calafiori has expressed his happiness with the club and believes he can still take positives from the season. “I am very happy at Arsenal,” he told gianlucadimarzio.com last week.
“For me personally, it was a great experience. Obviously, when you win trophies, it’s always better.”
Calafiori’s versatility has been a significant asset for Arsenal this season. He has played in various positions, including left-back and centre-back. The emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back has impacted Calafiori’s playing time. Calafiori came to Arsenal on the back of an impressive performance for Italy at Euro 2024.
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With Gabriel and William Saliba forming a strong centre-back partnership, Arsenal’s defence has been solid this season. However, both players have suffered hamstring injuries, and rotation could be a key strategy for the team next season.
Calafiori’s chance to start against Southampton provides him with an opportunity to showcase his skills and potentially secure a role in Arsenal’s defence for the upcoming season.
Riccardo Calafiori may partner with Jakub Kiwior at the heart of the Arsenal defence against Southampton (Image credit: Getty Images)Calafiori’s playing style, which involves driving into midfield and carrying the ball into the opponent’s final third, could prove valuable for Arsenal. In his 45 minutes against Newcastle, he demonstrated his ability to spark a game into life, and no Arsenal player carried the ball into Newcastle’s final third more times than him, a record he will likely want to take to the final game, where Arsenal hope to finish strong.
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