Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafioli has opened up about his return to Roma amid his latest battle for a constant beginning place below supervisor Mikel Arteta.
The Italy worldwide, who attracted consideration from Bologna and joined the Gunners final summer time, admitted he feels he has “unfinished enterprise” within the Italian capital.
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Riccardo Calafioli hints at leaving Arsenal
Talking on Alessandro Cattelan’s Supernova Podcast (by way of CalcioMercato), the 23-year-old spoke candidly about his emotional attachment to his boyhood membership.
Calafioli flourished at Roma, however his spell there was reduce quick by a sequence of loans and a everlasting transfer to Basel in 2022.
“I wish to return to Roma in the future. After all I am unable to plan my profession now, however I feel so,” he mentioned.
“Additionally partly as a result of I left it within the center. All the pieces began very properly. I scored targets and had an opportunity to play a bit bit extra. Then, for numerous causes, I went out on mortgage at first, however then they offered me.”
Calafiori has introduced down Arsenal’s hierarchy.
The admission comes at a delicate time for Calafioli at Emirates.
Regardless of making an “distinctive” begin to the 2025-26 season along with his versatility in Arteta’s inverted system, the defender has discovered himself on the periphery of the beginning XI of late.
The arrival of Pierro Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen has intensified competitors for the left-sided defensive place.
Moreover, a sequence of health setbacks, together with a again damage in February, disrupted Calafioli’s rhythm.
He has began 17 video games within the Premier League this season, however has continued to come back on as an alternative in latest high-profile video games towards Manchester United and Tottenham.
Arsenal at present lead the title race by 5 factors, with Arteta preferring the defensive solidity of Gabriel and William Saliba, typically utilizing Julian Timber or Hincapie within the hybrid function that Calafiori was initially signed for.
Arsenal are aiming to show Hincapie’s mortgage spell right into a everlasting deal, with the Italian defender more likely to depart in the summertime.
