“He’s already loving City over Arsenal”- Fans in splits as Riccardo Calafiori compares himself to Manchester City defender John Stones

Despite being an Arsenal player, Riccardo Calafiori revealed that his reference is John Stones.

“He’s already loving City over Arsenal”- Fans in splits as Riccardo Calafiori compares himself to Manchester City defender John Stones

Riccardo Calafiori finds his style of play similar to John Stones (Via X/@Arsenal & brfootball)

Arsenal Football Club finally have their man. The Gunners recently announced the signing of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori on social media, as the player met up with his new teammates and head coach Mikel Arteta. As fans opined that their defence will be rock solid this season, a comment made by Calafiori has given rival fans reason to rejoice.

Arsenal signed Calafiori on a five-year deal which will see him earn a rumored €4 million per season. Despite his newfound allegiance to Arsenal, Calafiori told the press that he draws ‘inspiration’ from one particular Manchester City player. Speaking to the media, the 22-year-old singled out John Stones as the player he feels most similar to.

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John Stones is my reference. It's not off the cuff when I go into midfield. His style of play is closest to mine.
Riccardo Calafiori said in a press conference

Stones is Pep Guardiola‘s go-to man when it comes to forming a midfield box with the rest of City’s midfield. Even though Ben White currently operates in a similar position, it is yet to be seen if Calafiori will also be given a chance to do so.

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Fans react to Riccardo Calafiori comparing himself to Man City’s John Stones

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the two biggest clubs that have gone head-to-head for the Premier League title in recent years. Even though Pep Guardiola’s side have claimed their dominance on the competition, Arsenal aren’t far away from their maiden title under Mikel Arteta.

Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori is officially an Arsenal player (Via Sky Sports & Logo.wine)

As Riccardo Calafiori identified himself with John Stones and his style of play, a rival fan claimed that he’s already started to admire City more than his own club. Another added that Calafiori and Arsenal are on their way to copy everything that Guardiola and Manchester City do.

Some found in bizarre that an Italian defender compared himself to an English center-back-turned midfielder. Aged just 22, there is a lot of room for the player to develop and learn under Arteta. A fan said that even though the League is much more difficult than in Italy, Arteta will mould him into a feared defender.

The player has gone straight to work as the club shared pictures of his first training session. It is yet to be seen whether he will play the upcoming friendly against Liverpool on the 31st of July.

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