Mikel Arteta takes a personal approach when trying to persuade new signings to join Arsenal and when trying to motivate his players - and Riccardo Calafiori has been impressed
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Updated 08:53, 19 Mar 2025
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has unusual motivation methods(Image: David Price/Getty Images)
Riccardo Calafiori has given an insight into the detailed way Mikel Arteta goes about winning over new players at Arsenal. Calafiori joined the Gunners in a £42million transfer from Bologna in July, becoming the club’s most expensive signing of the summer window.
Although he can play in central defence, the Italy international has largely featured at left-back for Arsenal this season. He has made 26 appearances across all competitions, contributing three goals and two assists. Calafiori was courted by Juventus and Chelsea last summer but was drawn to Arsenal, in part due to Arteta’s personal approach to winning him over.
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“The first thing that comes to mind is the organisation,” he told Italian outlet Rivista Undici e Cronache. “How much they care about each player from every point of view, both on the pitch and especially off the pitch.
"As for Arteta, I was immediately struck by how much he cared about getting to know me. One day on the phone he sent me some photos of my family and asked me to say what each member of the family meant to me.
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"Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, I’m not saying that he convinced me with this alone, but it certainly represented an important moment.”
Calafiori joined up with his new teammates during their pre-season tour of the United States and immediately set about making an impression. While he has been hindered by injuries in his debut season, he has enjoyed some high profile moments, including scoring a stunning goal in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City in September and the only goal in a 1-0 win over Wolves in January.
The 22-year-old is still in the early stages of his career and is still getting to grips with the demands of the left-back position, where he sometimes drifts infield to create an overload in midfield. That quirk has stirred a desire to play in central midfield in future.
Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal
Riccardo Calafiori has enjoyed working with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal
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“Thiago Motta and then [Luciano] Spalletti and Arteta changed me a lot, in terms of vision of the game, spaces to occupy, everything,” he explained.
“But I also think that there are many defenders with better characteristics than me, that’s why I work so much off the pitch and maybe that makes the difference.
“But there are many things that I still don’t know how to do. Among these is the desire to learn to play in as many roles as possible.
"For now, I feel like I know how to play two, I would also like to learn a third: midfielder. It is a role that has always fascinated me.”
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