- Riccardo Calafiori showed his confidence as he spoke after joining Arsenal
- The Italian defender completed a £42million move to the Gunners on Monday
- Calafiori praised Mikel Arteta’s team as ‘the best project’ after his move
Riccardo Calafiori made a bold statement that he joined Arsenal to win trophies after attending their match against Crystal Palace in January.
The 22-year-old Bologna defender signed a five-year contract with Arsenal, worth around £42million, and joined the squad in Philadelphia on Monday.
He said: ‘I spoke to the coach (Mikel Arteta) and Edu for almost two months. They tried to convince me, but I was already really convinced to come here.
‘For me this is the best project I can have to improve myself as a player. That’s it.’
“I want to improve, win trophies. It’s the best project for me because the team is young, the team is strong, it’s really good.”
Defender Riccardo Calafiori boldly announced he joined Arsenal to win trophies
He completed his £42million move on Monday and joined the squad in the United States
On what he can bring to Arsenal to help them win the Premier League, he added: ‘Maybe my mentality. I want to win. Starting with training. I want to give that to the team.
‘Also, I have confidence with the ball and I like to play. So this is the perfect choice.’ Arteta was very happy with a signing he was so keen to sign.
Arteta said: ‘When I spoke to him once or twice I wasn’t sure whether we could do it or not.
Calafiori impressed at Euro 2024 with Italy and is eager to start in the Premier League
Calafiori has already met his Arsenal teammates, including his Italian compatriot Jorginho (right)
‘He was adamant: ‘Let me know when you’re ready, my bags are packed and I just want to be at Arsenal.’ Those were his words.
“When you have someone with that willingness and that passion to join us and make us better and that determination, that’s really powerful. As a club, we should be really proud of that.”