Riccardo Calafiori has revealed that his Italy teammate Jorginho played a key role in convincing him to join Arsenal, even though the pair have only really known each other for a matter of weeks.
Jorginho ‘forced’ Calafiori to join Arsenal
Both players were included in Luciano Spalletti’s final 26-man squad for EURO 2024, but that is the first time their paths truly crossed, given that Jorginho has been based in the UK for the entirety of Calafiori’s professional career.
Though they have only just met, Calafiori admitted that Jorginho played a key role in joining Arsenal.
“I just met Jorginho one month ago, but I can see that he’s a really good guy,” Jorginho said in his first interview as an Arsenal player.
“I was already convinced, but he forced me. He said’ come, come, come! You will enjoy being here, the team is amazing and the staff, everything is good.’ You can see that already from the first minutes here.”
Click here to read more from Calafiori’s first Arsenal interview
Arsenal officially confirmed the signing on Monday. It is a permanent transfer at a cost of just under €50m (£42m), which includes around €5m in bonuses. The 22-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract, running until the end of June in 2029.
The former Bologna defender will wear the no.33 shirt during his first season in the Premier League.
Wrong move. Calafiori will be lost for Italy. There is nothing in recent news that any Serie A club is remotely doing anything to bring Azzuri back from decay.