Riccardo Calafiori is a name that rolls off the tongue and one that Premier League fans will have to get used to.
This is because the defender is set to join Arsenal after the Gunners and Bologna agreed on a transfer fee of £34 million, rising to £38 million for Calafiori.
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Once completed, it will mark the end of two remarkable years for the Italian international, who was kicked out of Roma in the summer of 2022.
Calafiori is now on the rise, but there have been plenty of setbacks in his career and he has overcome them all.
That mental strength will stand him in good stead when he joins Arsenal, where he is likely to play a key role in a team looking to end Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League.
Born in Italy’s capital Rome, Calafiori joined Roma’s youth academy where he worked his way through the ranks and helped the club win a title at youth level. He was quickly signed by former super agent Mino Raiola.
But just a few months after signing his first professional contract – he was just 16 – he suffered a serious injury that could have ended his career.
During a UEFA Youth League match, Calafiori was the victim of a terrible tackle which shattered his knee and tore all the ligaments of his meniscus.
Immediately after this injury, Roma’s Edin Dzeko scored three goals against Viktoria Plzen and paid his respects to the young defender during the game, as it was a serious injury.
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It was a traumatic experience and Calafiori thought it was all over.
He told Roma TV about his injury: “The trip was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. My knee was three times bigger than the other one, I had a fever and felt unsteady.”
The fact that he can still play football is a small miracle in itself, but incredibly that was not the end of the setbacks for Calafiori.
The 22-year-old returned after a long break and made his Roma first-team debut against Juventus in August 2020.
Roma won 3-1 and he played at left wing-back opposite Federico Bernadeschi before an injury forced him out.
Unfortunately, the following year, due to COVID and several thigh injuries, he did not achieve the big breakthrough he had hoped for.
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Things got even worse when Jose Mourinho arrived at the Italian giants. Despite posting a video of himself watching Calafiori on Instagram, the Italian was soon pushed aside by The Special One.
Once again playing as a left-back, Calafiori started in the first three Europa Conference League games of the 2021/22 season, but in the third game Bodo Glimt destroyed Roma 6-1.
Calafiori played the full 90 minutes and then only made two more appearances before being loaned to Genoa.
He said: “Mourinho? I started quite well with him. Then came the game against Bodo. From then on it went downhill.”
“He sent me to the bench and decided to rely on others, but my need and desire was to play.”
But the relationship between the two remains good to this day.
“It was his decision, of course, but I’ll tell you something. Mou and I talk; he has written me several messages and we have a nice relationship.”
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The loan to Genoa didn’t work out either, so he had to make a big decision at the end of the season and took a big risk when he moved from Serie A to Switzerland and Basel.
For Calafiori, this transfer changed his life because Heiko Vogel decided to make the Italian a central defender.
The Basel native spoke to Sky Sports Germany about the position change and said: “I had the feeling that as a full-back he lacked the speed to reach the highest level. As a centre-back he had more than enough.”
“He didn’t think for many seconds: let’s work together. I sent him from the full-back position to the middle and he did well.”
After the move, Calafiori played the rest of the season in central defence and moved back to Italy to play for Bologna under Thiago Motta.
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His time at Bologna was successful, with Calafiori playing as a centre-back but moving into midfield to create overloads.
In a recent interview, the defense attorney even compared himself to John Stones.
He said: “[John] My reference is stones.
“His style of play is closest to mine. I don’t spontaneously move into midfield, but rather follow the coach’s instructions.”
Throughout the 2023/24 season, he has impressed with his ability to carry the ball, something we all saw in action at Euro 2024 when he glided through the Croatian midfield and played a pass to Mattia Zaccagni, who slotted the ball home and took Italy into the knockout stages.
Unfortunately, Calafiori was suspended for the 2-0 loss to Switzerland and Gil Azzurri was ruled out. His absence proved to be serious.
Although the tournament was terrible for Italy, Calafiori was able to impress and has now earned a move to the Premier League.
Given what he has been through to get to this point, you would expect him to make the most of this opportunity.