WIth controversy over star players leaving abroad, Wayne Girard argues Calafiori’s move to Arsenal is a good thing for the Azzurri and Italian football.
When Paris Saint-Germain came knocking for the 2011-12 Serie B Player of the Year, it wasn’t a difficult choice for Marco Verratti to say yes to. He, along with Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile, lead the Delfini to the league title and saw his role reinvented by the all out attacking Zdenek Zeman. Seeing him as a player who sat at the bottom of the midfield rather than a central attacking-midfielder, his move gained international attention – and criticism.
Verratti went on to play 416 times for the club and scored over 60 goals, making 79 showings in the Champions League, reaching its final in 2020. Yet, there’s a common sentiment around fans of Italian football that he somehow wasted his career by never playing in Serie A. That fundamentally, Italian players should never leave the country as it hurts the national team and integrity of the ‘Italian way.’
Calafiori to Arsenal
Similar gripes are now being said for Riccardo Calafiori, upon his €50 million deal to Arsenal. But these feelings are not just misguided, but hurt Italian football long-term. The centre-back now joins one of the best teams in the world, who were lucky to have him after Juventus diverted their transfer goals elsewhere. He also joins one that just missed out on winning the English Premier League title, and have all the hunger to capitalise upon last season’s late slipup.
Mikel Arteta is also one of the world’s leading managers. The pair seem to have instantly gravitated towards one another, and Calafiori was ready to “pack his bags,” after an initial conversation, the manager mentioned. As they fight for the EPL title once more, and the Champions League, Arteta will use the Italian in a role that gives him liberty to do what he does best – make surging runs through the centre defensive half, and contribute to goal scoring actions. Most likely, Calafiori will be presented in the starting lineup as a left-back, but in reality, will have more of a roving movement as he inverts. Just take a look at his heat map from last season to have an idea of where he gravitates to:
On the receiving end, the Azzurri will get a modernised defender who is able to reach new heights to his game, with an international perspective. As Luciano Spalletti points towards World Cup 2026, players of this calibre will be necessary in order to qualify for the first time in the last three attempts. Just ask Roberto Mancini, who had Verratti pulling strings as Italy triumphed in Euro 2020.
It’s not to say that every Italian international should go abroad, as many of these players fuel the quality of the league. But having Calafiori learn in a different system from a world class manager fighting for football’s greatest trophies is a win-win for him and Italy.
“There were other clubs but I don’t care any more. I am here and I want to win trophies. This is the best project because the team is young and can win trophies. My mentality is to win.”