Arsenal transfer news

ARSENAL’S set-piece prowess looks to be carrying on from last season – with signs of some subtle changes.The Gunners scored 16 times from corners in the Prem in 2023/24 – the most out of anyone in the division.William Saliba and Gabriel both scored from corners at the weekendCredit: GettyArsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has found new ways to improve the GunnersCredit: GettyIn total, Mikel Arteta’s men found the net from 22 set-pieces – excluding penalties – in the league, form that almost won the title as they agonisingly missed out to Manchester City on the final day.Set-piece coach and guru Nicolas Jover has transformed the North Londoners with his NFL-style routines, both in attack and defence.And in their final pre-season outing – Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Lyon – both goals came from Declan Rice corners via William Saliba and Gabriel headers in the first half.But while much is the same, that win also showed that Jover has a few more tricks up his sleeve for opponents this campaign.read more arsenalBen White was chief tormentor last year, often tasked with annoying the opposition goalkeeper – notably in the North London derby when he tried to remove Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario’s glove from a corner.Yet his role looks to have been tinkered with, and he is not the only one.Saliba has a more active role in the six-yard box, Gabriel has license to attack from deep and the introduction of £42m new signing Riccardo Calafiori has added further height and power.There is also much more emphasis on the back post, an area that Arteta and Jover believe Arsenal can dominate aerially.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSArsenal won 12 corners against Lyon, the first coming in the fifth minute with Rice – now their first-choice and most effective corner taker – stepping up to deliver with an in-swinger.Arsenal vs Lyon: Player Ratings RevealedThey set up with five players at the back post (see above) – an imposing mob of Saliba, White, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli.Gabriel is hovering near the penalty spot. Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are on the edge of the box and Oleksandr Zinchenko acts as cover. Lyon bizarrely only have two men marking the five with Partey left completely on his own at the back.Partey, Saliba, White and Martinelli all run into the six-yard box towards the near post but Havertz spins to the byline and runs behind the keeper on his blind side. Rice’s delivery is a poor one and does not reach the first man but Martinelli keeps it alive and wins another corner.It is a similar set-up (see above), but this time Saliba is closer to the keeper ready to act as a blocker when the ball comes in with Partey, White, Havertz and Martinelli filling the six-yard box.Gabriel races to the back post but the ball comes to an unmarked Martinelli whose connection is wayward.Arsenal win their third corner inside 10 minutes and things eventually click with an identical set-up to the first.But this time, it is Saliba who spins his marker and runs into the goal and around the keeper while his teammates crowd the near post.Saliba now has the space to readjust before guiding his header in to open the scoring in the ninth minute.By the 27th minute, Arsenal are shaking things up. Saliba stands directly on the keeper to block as Gabriel outmuscles his marker and heads for the near post.While the likes of Havertz, White and Partey have filled the six-yard box to apply pressure, the keeper fails to jump over Saliba to clear the ball and Gabriel heads in.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt is not just at corners where Arsenal are trying something new. In the 65th minute, Calafiori comes on for his debut and immediately joins the back-post mob for a Saka free-kick on the far right.With Zinchenko off, White acts as the counter-attack stopper and Calafiori uses his huge frame to cause chaos, giving Saliba space to flick on towards Havertz at the far post but the touch is too hard.Arsenal have a tricky start to the new season More

ARSENAL cruised to a 2-0 victory over French side Lyon in the Emirates Cup in North London.Defenders William Saliba and Gabriel got on the team-sheet with almost identical goals from two Declan Rice corners, while former Gunner Ainsley Maitland-Niles returned to N5.William Saliba opened the scoring inside nine minutesCredit: GettyWhile Gabriel’s copy-cat header doubled Arsenal’s lead in the 27th minuteCredit: RexIt was a perfect way for Mikel Arteta’s side to wrap up pre-season ahead of the start of the Premier League next weekend.Here is how Jordan Davies rated Arsenal’s performers from the Emirates Stadium.DAVID RAYA – 6Could have sat on the sidelines for most of the game and not conceded. One hairy moment saw Said Benrahma fluff his lines from a dangerous cross.read more arsenal newsHis first real save came in the 84th minute after a Jorginho error.BEN WHITE – 7Such is his quality and knowledge of his role that he can drift through games comfortably, never caught out of position and rarely makes a mistake.FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSWILLIAM SALIBA – 8Composed in both boxes. Barely broke sweat in defence and celebrated a simple headed finish from a corner inside the opening 10 minutes.Saliba started despite only returning to training this weekCredit: PAGABRIEL – 8When he runs in the opposition box at speed, with his power and physicality, there is no one in world football stopping him. Most read in FootballA fine header from a corner after spinning to the back post.OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO – 7Dictated on the ball well and pushed high with Lyon struggling to get out. Likely to start against Wolves after a solid pre-season.MARTIN ODEGAARD – 7 Quiet but efficient first half. Should have made it 3-0 with a shot just after the break that was well saved.Martin Odegaard starred against former West Ham star Said BenrahmaCredit: GettyDECLAN RICE – 8Pressing from the front and showcasing his abilities as Arsenal’s corner taker once more, teeing up Saliba and Gabriel in the opening half an hour.Declan Rice’s deliveries picked up from where he left them in the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyTHOMAS PARTEY – 7 Looks back to his best. Disruptive in defence and silky with the ball at his feet to spark counters, especially when feeding Saka down the right.BUKAYO SAKA – 7Tore Lyon left-back Vinicius Abner to shreds with his darting runs inside and out, having a headed effort saved and another go narrowly wide in the first half.Smacked the post in the second half. Did everything but score.Bukayo Saka was unlucky to not get on the scoresheetCredit: GettyKAI HAVERTZ – 6 Back as a No.9 after playing in midfield in mid-week and was not as effective. Squandered a decent opening in the 53rd minute.GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7 A real livewire performance that just lacked some cutting edge and coolness that is needed if he is to start ahead of Leandro Trossard next weekend, wasting several opportunities in the first half.Subs:RICCARDO CALAFIORI (Zinchenko, 65) – 6Pushed forward well when given the chance and put in some crunching tackles.READ MORE SUN STORIESWas met with a huge reception from the Emirates crowd.Riccardo Calafiori made his Arsenal debutCredit: GettyGABRIEL JESUS (RICE, 65) – 6Forced to shake off a painful knock to his left ankle but barely got a sniff with the game winding down.Arsenal have a tricky start to the season More

TO SOME, the decision from Arsenal to sign the Italian international defender Riccardo Calafiori for £42million has come as something of a surprise. This is a player after all who only moved back to Italy last summer having been forced to switch to Switzerland to join Basel in order to kickstart his career. Riccardo Calafiori in training after his £42m move to ArsenalCredit: GettyCalafiori had a breakthrough season for BolognaThere are also some who will point to the performances of Calafiori in the recent Euros as the prime motivating reason for Arsenal finalising the deal. Both groups, however, are missing the fact that Calafiori has long been highly-rated in the Italian game and, were it not for a near career-ending injury as a young player, he was touted as a future captain at his boyhood club Roma.Indeed, last season saw Calafiori fully emerge as one of the top young defensive prospects in the game having taken his chance early to establish himself in a Bologna side that ended up qualifying for the Champions League. It is these performances, as well as those over the summer with Italy, that convinced Arsenal and their notoriously detail-orientated coach Mikel Arteta that Calafiori was the defensive addition that their squad needed.read more on footballCalafiori is one of the most versatile defenders in the game at the moment both in terms of his position and the different roles that he can play.And given that Arteta can already call on the likes of Ben White and Jurrien Timber, who missed the entirety of his first season at the club due to injury, in defence and now with the addition of Calafiori they have another strong option in their back line. Indeed, there is an extremely strong possibility that Arsenal will look to use Calafiori as a left-back in the first instance.Let’s consider the key strengths of Calafiori’s game in order to better understand Arsenal’s reasons for completing the deal.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSCarrying the ballTowards the end of last season in Serie A Calafiori gave an interview in which he was asked which defenders in the game he modelled his game on. There is every chance that the interviewer thought that Calafiori would answer with one of the great Italian defenders of the game. Perhaps Giorgio Chiellini or Paolo Maldini. Instead, Calafiori namechecked the English international John Stones. Calafiori is comfortable moving into the midfieldThe Italian star is equally comfortable at left back, as against Roma, or at centre backCalafiori went into greater detail mentioning that he appreciated the way that Stones stepped into midfield and recognised that this was a result of coaching instruction. Those of you that followed the Italian national team in the Euros will have seen Calafiori making this kind of run as he drove forward with the ball late in the game against Croatia and ended up setting up the late equaliser. What is key for Calafiori, and indeed for Arteta, is that the Italian defender is comfortable stepping into the midfield from either a centre back or left back position.Calafiori is the last defender for Bologna but has the confidence to drive in possession and to outplay the first striker before then moving into an advanced position.Earlier in his career Calafiori either played at left-back or as a left-sided central defender in a back three. It was Thiago Motta, his coach last season at Bologna, who convinced Calafiori that he had the skill set to play in a back four system. At Arsenal next season we expect to see the Italian used, at least in the first instance, as a left-back although I would expect him to play the position in an inverted style moving more into central areas in the midfield when Arsenal are in possession.In these situations the Italian defender is comfortable receiving and playing and breaking lines through his passing ability.For Arteta though it is likely more important that when he moves into midfield Calafiori is extremely strong at the moment of defensive transitions when the opposition try to counter attack quickly.Playing as left-back Calafiori is a position where a lot of natural defenders would look for a quick forward pass. Instead, the Italian drives inside and then forward to attack spaceAs a line breaking runner from the defensive line Calafiori will bring a lot to this Arsenal side.Passing abilityAs well as being comfortable in possession when driving out and breaking lines through carries and dribbles, Calafiori is also a modern defender who can pass progressively and move the ball through the lines. While on the right-hand side Arteta has typically utilised Ben White in this position there is no doubt that Calafiori is a more aggressive passer than the Englishman.There were times last season that Arsenal had almost become too functional with no real creativity when playing from the first third into the middle third. Calafiori will bring a more consistent sense of ball progression from the first-line than Arteta had last season from his options across the back four.Calafiori has the quality in possession to play a longer driven pass that breaks the lines of the opposition defence and releases a teammate attacking into spaceCrucially, when moving forward in possession of the ball Calafiori is not a player who will simply play to the next line with a safe passing profile that sees the ball move to the next available player. He has more range to his game than that with the ability to play longer switches of play or driven passes that break the last line to release players in behind.It has to be said, of course, that this kind of passing profile will lead to a less impressive pass completion percentage as more of his passes have a higher level of risk attached to them. This is part of the risk/reward that coaches have to consider when they have a more aggressive and progressive passer as part of their defensive unit.Calafiori steps forward with the ball at his feet but instead of dribbling and looking to attract pressure towards the ball, he plays a longer pass to release a midfielder making a movement to attack and occupy spaceHis array of passing was impressive at the EurosHe didn’t miss a single pass against Juventus last seasonHaving a player with the passing profile of Calafiori in the defensive unit will give Arteta and his coaching staff more options in terms of the way that they build the attack.Defending 1v1For all that Calafiori is a player who is very modern in his profile as a defender he is still a defender first and foremost and an Italian defender at that. He has the physical profile, listed at 6’2”, to defend against Premier League attackers but it is his positioning and reading of the game when he is defending that really stands out.He is equally comfortable when asked to defend in space as the more reactive defender or when he is asked to defend tight to the opposition attacking players as the more proactive defensive player. This is why although he is likely to start at left-back he already has the ability and the skill set to play as a central defender for Arteta. Indeed, his skill set would be a very good match as a partner to William Saliba in the RCB role.Calafiori reads the threat as the ball is played into the front side of the penalty area and wins the duel, comfortably clearing the ballAs a defender Calafiori is quick and aggressive when it comes to entering in direct defensive duels with opposition strikers. His initial positioning is typically very good and this allows him to get an advantage in attacking the zones that passes or crosses are played into. In this regard the Italian matches the way that the likes of Saliba and Gabriel defend currently for Arsenal with Arteta favouring defensive players who have the ability to defend tight and in space equally well.Napoli look to release Victor Osimhan but as soon as the pass is played, however, Calafiori moves to intercept and out muscles the Nigerian forwardCalafiori was dominant for Italy against Albania at the EurosThere is little doubt that from a defensive point of view the addition of Calafiori will be an upgrade on the options that Arteta had from left-back last season. READ MORE SUN STORIESHe may also represent one of the stronger defensive options for the team at centre back as well.ConclusionWhile some may think that Arsenal have signed Calafiori purely on the basis of his performances at the Euros the truth is that he has been a defender of interest to the wider game for a lot longer than that.  More