There are a couple of bits for a quick Sunday update, starting with news that the long-awaited signing of Riccardo Calafiori looks set to go through in the next couple of days.
Various reports suggest the agreement between the various clubs is complete, the player will travel to London to complete a medical and all the formalities, and will become a Gunner. It’s such an interesting signing, because as we head towards a new season, we think about what we might do differently from last. Mikel Arteta has spoken often about wanting to be more unpredictable, and the Italian international certainly offers qualities on the left hand side of the defence that we don’t really have.
Obviously he can play at centre-half, and there might be a little bit of future-proofing here for the LCB position, but my guess (right now) is that he’ll play as a de facto left back, using his ball carrying ability to help the team progress from an attacking perspective, and his defensive numbers are impressive too.
I know people have been anxious about signings, and there’s still more to do – not least in the attacking end of the pitch – but I’ve said for some time that I thought our left-side and left-back need some attention and this is clearly part of that plan. I’m glad to see this one go through, although if you’re Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Kieran Tierney, probably not as much. The futures of those guys will be under the microscope a little bit, and I’d say at least two of them will depart before the end of the window.
Meanwhile, as the team heads for the US today, the signing of the young Ajax goalkeeper Tommy Setford is reportedly going ahead so he can be part of the squad. We are very light in the senior goalkeeping department with Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya away on holidays, so that does makes some sense. Karl Hein is the only one available right now.
There was also a game yesterday, a 2-0 win behind closed doors against Leyton Orient. The goals came from Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe – there’s a report and some highlights on the official website. There’s not a lot to read into a game like this, but it was interesting to see Myles Lewis-Skelly start at left-back, and good to see the goalscorers get on the mark. Obviously there’s considerable uncertainty about Smith Rowe’s future, but I really believe if we can get Gabriel Jesus properly fit, he could be a huge asset for the team this season. A good pre-season would go a long way towards that.
Right, I’ll leave it there for now, but we’ll have an Arsecast Extra for you later tonight. Keep an eye out for the call for questions on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra – or if you’re an Arseblog Member on Patreon, leave your question in the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord server.
Pod should be out by 9pm or thereabouts. For now, have a good one.
