Fans have spotted how two Arsenal players reacted when Riccardo Calafiori was introduced to his new teammates.
On Monday Arsenal completed the signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Serie A side Bologna for a fee of up to £42 million including add-ons.
The Italian defender penned a five-year contract after the two clubs reached an agreement after weeks of talks.
The 22-year-old is a versatile player, capable playing at centre-back, left-back, defensive midfield and even left-wing.
Arsenal had the best defence in the Premier League last season, conceding just 29 goals, but now have an even stronger backline.
Mikel Arteta now has two players in each defensive position, but that of course means that some are going to find themselves on the bench more often than they would like.
The arrival of Calafiori could be bad news for Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior, both of whom are hoping to start either in central defence or left-back.
Both had difficult 2023-24 campaigns; Timber missed most of the season after suffering a torn ACL on his club debut, while Kiwior struggled for minutes ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Getty)
Upon signing for Arsenal Calafiori flew straight to the United States to join the club’s pre-season tour.
Arsenal published to their YouTube channel footage of Arteta introducing Calafiori to the squad, with the Italian giving a short speech and receiving a round of applause from his teammates.
Fans noticed Timber’s reaction, as he shot the new recruit a look after applauding him.
Kiwior smiled as he entered the room and high-fived a coach, but one fan commented: “Does he know?”
Another fan wrote: “Look at Timber,” prompting another to reply: “Thought I was the only one who saw it, he knows, competition just gets stiffer.”
Arsenal will face Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon in friendlies before kicking off their Premier League campaign against Wolves on August 17.
News
What Jermaine Jenas’ wife Ellie did when he told her he’d been sacked for sending inappropriate texts to other women (an)
Jenas was axed by the BBC earlier this week following an investigation into his behaviour. Jermaine Jenas has revealed how his wife Ellie reacted to finding…
Paul Scholes names the player Manchester United should have signed instead of Manuel Ugarte (an)
The PSG midfielder is on the Old Trafford club’s transfer radar. Manchester United appear to be closing in on the signing of PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte to…
Liverpool ‘readying £70m move’ in final week of transfer window that would rock the Premier League (an)
Manchester United have been heavily linked with the player this summer. Liverpool could be about to send shockwaves through the Premier League with a late transfer,…
Ilkay Gundogan’s wife makes her feelings clear on him rejoining Man City after slamming ‘horrible’ food scene (an)
Gundogan is back at City – and his wife Sara Arfaoui has made his feelings clear on the move. Ilkay Gundogan’s wife has made her feelings…
Body language expert spots interesting detail in Jermaine Jenas’ final The One Show appearance (an)
The former presenter was sacked after four years working for the BBC. A body language expert has given their thoughts on Jermaine Jenas’ final appearance on…
Pep Guardiola says Man City will be ‘trembling’ when they play one team this season, it’s surprised everyone (an)
The Manchester City boss admitted he is afraid of one team. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed the one team that will leave his side…
End of content
No more pages to load