Riccardo Calafiori dubs his Arsenal move as a ‘dream’
Arsenal have completed the transfer for a midfielder from Bologna, Riccardo Calafior with a five-year contract. The transfer fee is reported to be around €45 million and the midfielder is expected to join his new teammates within days.
The Gunners went head-to-head with Manchester City in a title race last season which ended up with the latter’s glory. During the transfer window, The Gunners recruitment department ensured that Mikel Arteta had everything to compete at the top level this time.
A dream came true for Calafiori
Calafiori was Bologna’s integral part of the club’s impressive season in Serie A. La Grassa finished fifth and made it to the European competition after 22 years. The last European competition they took part in was the 2002 Intertoto Cup.
The midfielder admitted that joining Arsenal was one of his “dreams” since he was young. Calafiori added that he couldn’t wait to start training and playing with the rest of The Gunners’ squad.
“It feels amazing,” he expressed. “It was tough until now, but finally we’re here and I cannot wait to start to train with the team and play for the fans.
“It’s actually been my dream since I was 12 or 13 years old, because I can see the level of the league here and the best players in the world, for me, play here. It’s a dream and not only for me, but for everybody.”
With The Gunners, Calafiori will wear the shirt number 33, which has been used for some notable players in the past. Petr Cech wore this number when he came from Chelsea in 2015. Two other names who have worn the same number were Nicklas Bendtner and Benik Afobe.
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