Bologna enjoyed their best season in Serie A last year, when they finished fifth and qualified for the Champions League. It was their best outing in Italy’s top-flight division since they finished in the same spot in 1971.
However, the club from Emilia-Romagna will not have the services of two key players who helped them become relevant in Italy again next season. Their leading scorer, Joshua Zirkzee, joined Manchester United a few weeks back.
And now one of Italy’s brightest young players—Riccardo Calafiori—is set to follow his Dutch teammate to England. This time around, it’s for the Gunners.
Calafiori is Arteta’s new star
Mikel Arteta almost led Arsenal to the Premier League title for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s invincible-winning side in 2004.
The Gunners were neck-and-neck with Manchester City, and, at one point, were the favourites to lift the title before missing out by two points on the last day of the season.
Arteta knew then and there that he needed more stability and consistency if he was to beat Pep Guardiola and the Citizens. That’s where Riccardo Calafiori comes in.
The 22-year-old has agreed to personal terms with the London-based club and is set to join the squad during their pre-season stint in America anytime soon.
Both clubs have agreed for a fee worth around €40 million—a small price to pay for silverware aspirations.
For SBOTOP Serie A fans, it would be a shame to see a highly-rated young player leave; their loss is Arsenal’s gain.
Calafiori has already shown his quality, both for club and country. In the recently concluded Euros, the versatile defender was one of the few bright spots during Italy’s disastrous campaign.
He showed his comfortability in bringing the ball up the pitch and being an attacking threat. At the same time, he is quick and athletic enough to get back in position.
But just why did Arsenal sign another centre-back when they already have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes—focal points of the best defence in the league?
If you are a wondering fan, Arteta probably signed the Italian for other reasons, most likely his ability to play on the left flank of the defence.
Despite conceding the fewest goals in the last Premier League season, Arsenal had troubles on the left-hand side. Jurrien Timber tore his ACL in the first game of the season, whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior weren’t able to deliver as Arteta quite hoped for.
With Calafiori on the way, Arsenal may have found the one piece to take them over the hump.
Hummels to replace Calafiori?
The loss of Calafiori is a huge gap that Bologna need to fill if they hope to be as competitive as they were last season, where they upset the Serie A 2024 betting odds.
But they didn’t come all this way to only stop now.
That’s why the Rossoblu must replenish their team ahead of a busy campaign. Their number one priority? Find a replacement for Calafiori.
Good thing a certain Mats Hummels is available at this time of the year.
According to Serie A 20204 updates, the 35-year-old was approached by Bologna, offering him to sign for €2 million per season.
However, Hummels is in no rush of putting pen to paper as he told Bologna he’d need a few days to think.
But with news that other clubs are also interested in the services of the former World Cup winner, with Real Madrid being the most notable one, some Bologna fans feel a tad nervous about how things are going.
Should Hummels heed the Rossoblu’s call and head to Italy, it would be the first time in his illustrious career that he leaves Germany.
The German centre-back has only played for two clubs in his professional career—Bayern and Dortmund—where he was able to win numerous trophies, including five Bundesliga titles and three German Cups.
He has also been to the final of the Champions League twice in his career, and his experience will surely benefit Bologna, who last qualified in the competition back in 1964.
Despite being at the twilight of his career, Hummels remains a solid option at the back. He had the most tackles (29), interceptions (25), and total recoveries (81) during Dortmund’s Champions League run last season. As things stand, Bologna can only hope Hummels chooses them. They are at the mercy of his hands.
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