Jorginho on what Calafiori will bring to Arsenal | Interview | News

Having played with Riccardo Calafiori before, Jorginho feels that we’ve added a great talent to our ranks.

The pair were in Italy’s Euro 2024 squad together, which Riccardo managed to edge his way into for the first time after starring for Bologna in Serie A last season, winning his first Azzurri caps in the pre-tournament friendlies before establishing himself in the starting XI.

And Jorginho revealed he was impressed by the 22-year-old’s abilities, and once he heard that we were interested in bringing him to north London, he quickly messaged Riccardo to try and persuade him that here is where his future lay.

“It’s a really good signing,” he said. “He’s a really good young player that will give a lot to the team. He’s a very professional guy, he is hungry to learn and humble. He has a lot to add and grow and learn and I think it’s going to be a good connection.

“To be fair I didn’t know him that much but when I got to know him and see him up close, it’s been great. He has great qualities.

“I sent him a few messages while we were there at the tournament and I spoke with him and said if he wants to take himself to the next level and grow, this is the right place for him to go.

“It’s nice to have a fratello here! We always try to help each other here and that’s what we’re going to do with him as well to make sure he feels at home straight away. It’s great that he’s here, hopefully he enjoys it and we’ll achieve big things together.”

Jorgi featured for 30 minutes against Bournemouth and an hour against Manchester United as he gradually builds up his match fitness, but he feels ready for the new season already.

His gametime at Euro 2024 kept him ticking over, and he is feeling the benefits from that as he prepares for Wednesday’s final game on tour against Liverpool in Philadelphia.

“It’s always really great to go to a tournament with your country and have the opportunity to represent your people, but it’s also good as you don’t have a really long break,” he added.

“It’s been a really good pre-season so far, we’ve been working really hard and I think it’s a really good opportunity for us to update and work a lot physically.

“We’ve achieved some of the targets - and the main one is always trying to win and build this mentality of winning games. Of course there are things that we need to improve and keep working to get better and better but I think we are on the right path.”