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Jorginho has been a hit

Calafiori next? Ranking the 4 Italians to have played for Arsenal

Riccardo Calafiori looks set to become just the fifth Italian to ever play for Arsenal, but how have those who came before him fared in north London?

Following an immense season with Bologna where they finished fourth in Serie A, Calafiori earned a call-up to the Italy national team for the first time, just weeks before EURO 2024, where he then started every game under Luciano Spalletti apart from the last 16 where he was suspended as they were knocked out.

After weeks of tense negotiations involving former clubs, Arsenal appear to be on the cusp of capturing the defender. We’ve taken a look at the Italian Gunners before him and it makes for intriguing reading.

4. Arturo Lupoli

After bagging 45 goals in 22 games at youth level for Parma and seemingly setting the world alight, Arsenal snapped up Lupoli as a teenager in 2004 after his contract with the Italian side expired.

He made a bright start to life in north London, finishing as the club’s top scorer at reserve level in his first season and making a few first-team appearances in the process. The progress appeared to continue the following season, with the Italian winning the League Cup New Talent award and eventually making what would be his only Premier League appearance for the club as they lost to Blackburn in February 2006.

Lupoli was loaned to Derby County for the 2006-07 season and left Arsenal permanently after that, returning to Italy with Fiorentina having made nine senior appearances for the Gunners, scoring three times.

 

3. Emiliano Viviano

An easily forgettable one, Viviano had spent his entire playing career in his native Italy up until he signed for Arsenal on loan in 2013.

The goalkeeper joined on a season-long loan spell from Palermo, with the Gunners having an option to buy at the end of the season. Unfortunately for the Italian stopper, he only ever really made up the numbers and was behind Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski in the pecking order.

Viviano left at the end of the season without ever making a competitive appearance for the club, signing for Sampdoria that same summer. Aged 38, he’s still going in Serie C with Ascoli.

2. Vito Mannone

Another goalkeeper, Mannone had a little more luck between the sticks, signing for Arsenal in 2005 as a youngster from Atalanta.

After a loan to Barnsley, Mannone eventually managed to stick around in the Arsenal squad as the third-choice goalkeeper, eventually making his competitive debut in the final game of the 2008-09 Premier League season.

A string of appearances in the first team would follow throughout 2009 and 2010, but the Italian didn’t really do enough to displace Manuel Almunia when the opportunity was there. By the time he’d returned from a loan to Hull City in 2011, he was third choice once again.

Mannone eventually left the club in 2013 having made 23 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions. Now 36, he’s currently at Lille.


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1. Jorginho

Arsenal’s most recent Italian signing, fans were a little apprehensive when they signed Jorginho from Chelsea halfway through the 2022-23 season, with the midfielder seemingly past his best.

However, his experience and technical ability has proven key for the Gunners in limited doses, adding an extra layer of composure to their midfield, particularly when they wish to dominate possession. Snapped up on the cheap, he’s one of Mikel Arteta’s favourites and always does a job.

Moving to the Emirates has given him a new lease of life.