Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has admitted that Arsenal’s summer signing of Riccardo Calafiori saddened him.
The 22-year-old arrived in north London from Bologna this summer in a deal worth £42m after an impressive spell in Serie A.
Calafiori made his first start for the Gunners in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend and notched up his first goal for the club with a superb first-half strike.
While settling in nicely at the Emirates, it could have been very different for the versatile defender with several European clubs linked with a summer move for Calafiori.
One such team was Serie A giants Juventus and the club’s sporting director has now admitted his concern with the growing trend of talented young Italian players leaving the country to join other elite clubs abroad.
‘It’s sad not being able to keep Riccardo Calafiori in Serie A,’ Giuntoli told Corriere della Sera when asked about Calafiori’s move to Arsenal.
‘It’s a regret for all of Italian football, not just for Juventus.
‘We need to question ourselves about not having had the strength to keep a player of his calibre in Italy. The big teams have all taken a defender, not him.’
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was full of praise for Calafiori and how quickly he has adapted to the rigours of Premier League football.
‘He came back, had a little glimpse, then went on international duty and got injured, so we had to manage him again,’ Arteta said on Friday.
‘Then we threw him against Man City away for the first Premier League start and I think he was superb.
‘He’s really good. He’s adapted really well to the group, his understanding is exceptional and you see he’s a player with an enormous courage and personality to play, so he’s going to give us a lot.’
Asked about the decision to play him against City, Arteta added: ‘With another player, probably I wouldn’t do it.
‘But because I know how he copes and when I speak to him he really wants it, I decided to do it and he showed that he’s prepared to do it.’
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