Arsenal: Arteta is copying Pep again with Calafiori signing

Mikel Arteta, you are one sick individual. Another defender? Really? Another one? Boy, Shkodran Mustafi must have done a number on you.

No but seriously, Riccardo Calafiori is an excellent signing for Arsenal. £42million is very respectable too. The best defence in Europe gets even stronger.

Addressing the situation at left-back is something Mikel Arteta absolutely had to do when his side fell short in the Premier League title race again. We said as much here.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is injury-prone and a defensive liability; Takehiro Tomiyasu is injured all the time; Jurrien Timber played one half of football in 2023/24; Jakub Kiwior is decent but Arsenal need better. And Kieran Tierney’s race is run. The only one due any real sympathy is Timber, who many expected to have the left-back spot nailed.

Despite the strength of the Gunners’ backline last season, the inconsistency at left-back was concerning. Now Calafiori is on his way and Arsenal are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Zinchenko and Kiwior, with Tierney very likely to be sold.

So what is the online hullabaloo all about?

Instead of signing a new attacker – a prolific striker or cover/competition for Bukayo Saka – or defensive midfielder, Arteta has made the signing of a centre-back his top transfer priority when the most impressive aspect of his team last season was the centre of defence.

Furthermore, Calafiori is a centre-back. A central defender. He is going to play left-back for Arsenal. The evolution of the full-back position is not complete; we have transitioned from proper full-backs like Ashley Cole capable of going both ways but better known for their defensive ability, to your Andy Robertsons of the world bombing up and down the wing, to seeing someone like Josko Gvardiol and now Calafiori being shifted out from the middle.

The man who made it popular was Pep Guardiola but the man who made it possible was Tony Pulis. The former Stoke City and West Brom manager’s love of a whole defence consisting of massive centre-halves can be thanked when we see Manchester City and Arsenal give us dull title decider after dull title decider for years to come (that game from March could still be going on today and it would still be 0-0).

👉 Mediawatch: Arsenal devise brilliant ‘lucrative’ plan that could ‘potentially’ bankroll Calafiori transfer

We cannot blame Arteta for wanting to replicate Guardiola. His philosophy as a coach was born of his spell under his freak (in a good way) of an idol, who has influenced the Arsenal manager into becoming an even bigger freak. Again, in a good way.

Guardiola binned Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo due to their defensive frailties and won the lot; Arteta is hoping the same change will turn Arsenal into Treble winners. Or at least title winners.

Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol have all shone at left-back for Man City and all are natural centre-backs. Arsenal have an ideal profile in Tomiyasu for that role but his injury problems make it impossible. Which is how we arrive at Calafiori.

Timber will likely provide depth across the back four so he will certainly get his fair share of minutes. What a back-up to have. And that sort of defensive depth is another contributing factor to Guardiola’s colossal success at the Etihad.

The Spaniard has always had three or four excellent centre-backs at his disposal. If that is what it takes to win, then Arteta is going to follow suit. Defences win you championships, after all.

Some, mainly looking from the outside, have been left baffled by Arsenal’s pursuit of Calafiori, especially with more pressing issues up front and in central midfield. But this is a signing that makes a lot of sense, on and off the field. We must reiterate that £42m is very much a steal in today’s market.

Even if it does make Arteta seem like a modern-day Pulis, it is a signing that addresses something that needs addressing, with plenty of time left in the summer transfer window. The kitty has not been blown on the long-haired Italian and it looks like Mikel Merino is next on the agenda. A deep-lying Spanish midfielder with an eye for a goal? By God, Arteta has done it again.

Rival fans will turn their nose up at Arteta ‘spending his way to a title’ by making what is being deemed by many as an unnecessary signing and that is fine. Jealousy is fine. Arsenal fans will just enjoy the luxury of having competent defenders. Those early days managing Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers may have been a blessing in disguise. Without them, Arteta might not have realised how important it was to have a solid defence.

Benjamin White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori. That is a silly backline. With David Raya behind and Declan Rice in front of them, Arsenal will fancy their chances next season.

👉 Read next: Arsenal can use Pep Guardiola secret against him to surpass Liverpool as his greatest rival