Bologna ended the season with just six defeats and the third best Serie A defence – behind Inter and Juventus – and much of the credit goes to Calafiori.
The Italian will now have to find his way into an Arsenal defence that was the most impenetrable of the last Premier League campaign, with only 29 goals conceded.
Compared to William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White, Calafiori has a different profile.
His game works along vertical lines but also develops horizontally while waiting for the right slot to open. He will offer the Gunners yet another reliable option when building from the back.
He can play on the left or as a left centre-back in a four-man defence as well as in a three-man backline as he did at Euro 2024.
Calafiori has only had one season at the highest level, making 26 top-flight starts for the Rossoblu as they finished fifth last term.
Nevertheless, that was enough to convince Italy boss Luciano Spalletti to make him a regular starter for the Azzurri in Germany, where he lived up to the expectations and attracted attention from several big European clubs.
With the help of Motta, Calafiori seamlessly mastered the step from Basel to Bologna. Mikel Arteta will have to help him do the same if he wants to get the best out of him in London.
It is a big step and the Italian may need time to adapt. Premier League football is much faster than Serie A, players have less time to make decisions and play an enormous number of physically demanding games.
However, Calafiori brings what it takes to succeed: good individual technical skills, football intelligence, physical strength, tactical knowledge and humility.
He will benefit from the style of play of his new side – fluid like Bologna’s.
On a more superficial level, his image at the Euros was very much similar to that of many illustrious Azzurri predecessors like Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta, and this did not go unnoticed by those who love aesthetics.
And if Calafiori’s career develops in line with those predecessors, the Gunners faithful can sleep soundly for the next few years.
